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Rachel “Raquel” Leviss opened up about how she’s been helping fans on her podcast while attending an awards show on Monday night.
Months after quitting her role on Vanderpump Rules following her scandalous affair with Tom Sandoval, 41, Raquel, 29, said she’s been empowered by her podcast as she also shared her thoughts on returning to reality television, revealed she’s nearly a year sober, and explained how she’s taking care of her mental health after undergoing a months-long treatment plan last year.
“I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy doing a podcast because it’s not really my thing, but I’m actually enjoying it so much. I feel like it’s given me my power back, and I just feel empowered doing it so it’s been great,” Raquel told E! News at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards on April 1. “It feels like there’s a healing aspect of it, just like sharing what I’ve learned about myself through this journey and this experience, and hopefully helping other people who have been through abusive relationships, toxic friend groups that can relate to what I’m talking about.”
Although Raquel faced a world of backlash after her secret romance with Sandoval, who was dating her close friend, Ariana Madix, 38, at the time, was exposed in March 2023, she said that one year later, the dust has settled.
“I have gotten a lot of DMs, people apologizing for bashing me and saying, ‘Now listening to your podcast, I’ve learned more about the situation and I was too quick to judge and I just want to send you some love and encouragement so that’s been really nice,” Raquel revealed.
When she was then asked about a possible return to TV, Raquel said she’d never consider “if it is anything like Vanderpump Rules.”
“I think there is a way we could create ethical reality TV, and I think if we keep working towards that and seeing what that might look like, maybe in the future I will,” she added.
After walking away from her role on Pump Rules last summer as the cast began filming season 11, Raquel said she unfollowed most Bravo-related pages on social media, except a few that are “more biased” to her side.
“I like to know that my voice is being heard. On my explore page, it’s all Bravo, but I like to keep the people that I follow just kind of a good mental, positive affirmations so that when I leave Instagram I’m like, ‘Okay, I feel good,’” she shared.
Also during the interview, Raquel said she’s been staying active as she continues to focus on her mental health.
“I’ve been diving right into hot yoga. I do hot yoga twice a week. I’m doing pilates, hiking, staying really active so that my mind doesn’t go spinning and I’m not scrolling on Instagram or anything, and then creating a good community,” she detailed. “I am almost a year sober. I’ll be a year sober on Wednesday, so it’s a huge accomplishment and I’m really proud of how far I’ve come.”
Vanderpump Rules season 11 airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on Bravo.
