Tom Sandoval is opening up about the aftermath of his breakup with Raquel Leviss.
On the Dec. 7 episode of the "Two Ts in a Pod" podcast, Sandoval talked about the scandal that rocked the nation when he cheated on his longtime partner, Ariana Madix, with Leviss, her best friend at the time.
But no matter how the scandal seemed to the outside world, Sandoval said Leviss, who now goes by her given name Rachel, wasn't just "some hot girl" he liked. He explained their connection was a lot deeper than that.
“I fought so hard for Rachel,” Sandoval said. “I stopped drinking. I stopped smoking cigarettes because she went away to a facility. I’m like, ‘She can’t drink, she can’t smoke. I’m going to quit.’”
"I haven't gone this long without drinking since I was like 16 and it's been eight months and I stopped for her," he added. "And I was there in any way she needed me."
When asked if he missed Leviss, Sandoval said, "Yes, of course, I do."
“We were best friends,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking to go through. I was fully in love with her. This is not just some hot girl. Come on, I was a model for like 15 years, it’s deeper than that. It's more than that."
In April, Leviss revealed she was entering a facility to receive treatment for mental health counseling after news broke about her affair with Sandoval.
In a statement to Entertainment Tonight, she apologized for her actions and said she has an "addiction to being and feeling loved."
“I have sought emotional validation through intimate connections that are not healthy without regard for my own well-being, sometimes negatively affecting others and often prioritizing the intimate connection over my friendships,” she said. “I am taking steps to understand my behavior and make healthier choices.”
As Leviss cut Sandoval off after the affair, he explained on “Two Ts in a Pod“ podcast that he doesn’t talk to Madix at all and he hopes that Leviss liked him for him and not for fame.
“I hope she did (love me). I don’t know,” Sandoval said of Leviss feelings, adding she “shooed” him away after the affair became public.