Vanderpump Rules’ Tom Sandoval FINALLY issues GROVELING apology to heartbroken Ariana Madix

Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval apologized for cheating on Ariana Madix in a statement he issued Tuesday evening, days after her name was omitted from his first public comment on the matter.

Sandoval, 39, who was caught cheating on Madix, 37, with Raquel Leviss, 28, took to Instagram with a detailed statement after receiving blowback in the wake of his affair coming to light.

‘I want to first and foremost apologize to everyone I’ve heard through this process,’ he said. ‘Most of all, I want to apologize to Ariana. I made mistakes, I was selfish, and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I loved. No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically in publicly.’

He continued: ‘I can only imagine how devastating this has been for Ariana and everyone around us. I feel really horrible about that. My biggest regret is that I dishonored Ariana. I never meant to disappoint so many people, including our loving family and friends.’

Sandoval said his ‘love for Ariana was stronger than any camera could have ever captured’ and some of their ‘best times together were never filmed.

Sandoval who was caught cheating on Madix, 37, with Raquel Leviss, 28, took to Instagram with a detailed statement after receiving blowback in the wake of his affair coming to light 

He added: ‘The same goes for some of our biggest struggles. I wish things happened in a different order in our relationship was not severely tarnished, and that it ended with the same respect for her that begin with. I owed Ariana better.’

Sandoval wrapped up in saying, ‘I am beyond sad that it ended the way it did. The choices I made hurt so many people. 

‘I acted in a way that clashes with who and how I want to be. I will continue to reflect and work on myself. I have work to do I always have and I always will.’

In  other developments, Sandoval was snapped heading to therapy on Tuesday, amid reports he took his first onscreen kiss with Leviss following his split.

Sandoval was seen at a Los Angeles office that is ‘home to many therapy and psychotherapy offices,’ insiders told TMZ Tuesday, noting that he spent about two hours inside.

Sandoval was pictured donning a black leather jacket with dark fleece lining, over a dark blue shirt with black pants and white sneakers. 

He wore a black hat and black sunglasses and sported a mustache while holding onto his keys and his phone on the daytime outing. 

The source told the outlet that the meeting wasn’t anything out of the ordinary for the reality star restaurateur, who ‘was in therapy long before this scandal’ in which his longtime relationship with Madix crumbled after it was revealed he had cheated on her with Leviss.

Madix was seen leaving the LA home she shared with Sandoval amid news of the affair Saturday

Leviss, pictured last month on Valentine’s Day, has been at the epicenter of the scandal to rock the reality TV series 

The former couple was pictured with Leviss at a Thanksgiving charity event in LA  

The reality star was seen leaving a Southern California business office on the weekday 

Sandoval has been at the center of attention amid the revelation of his affair with Leviss 

Sandoval was seen playing a set at BravoCon October 15 in NYC. Cohen on Monday said video from he event indicated that Madix – and Leviss – were watching Sandoval intently onstage

In related news an insider told Page Six on Tuesday that Sandoval and Leviss ‘kissed on camera’ for the Bravo series amid their ‘complicated’ relationship while filming at Leviss’ apartment in North Hollywood, California on Saturday.

Sandoval’s outing came a day after Andy Cohen on Monday said he suspects there could have be something going on between Sandoval and Leviss as far back as last fall, during festivities at BravoCon in New York City in October.

The Bravo host-producer, 54, speculated on the timeframe of the affair – in which Sandoval cheated on longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix – on his Radio Andy show Monday on SiriusXM, as details of the fallout made headlines.

He noted that amid the ‘reverberating’ scandal, video captured at the event indicated that Madix – and Leviss – were watching Sandoval intently as he played with his band at the event in the Big Apple.

Cohen noted that the answers Leviss gave earlier this month on his show Watch What Happens Live, during a quiz sketch with with Scheana Shay, 37, provided an insight into the way she viewed the restauranteur-musician.

‘We played a game called the BFF test,’ Cohen said. ‘I read a statement and both guests answer at the same time and we see if their answers match. I said, “Who’s the cuter Tom: Sandoval or Schwartz?” And they both said Sandoval.’

Cohen said that he did not expect Leviss’ answer to be Sandoval, based on rumors of romance between her and Schwartz that circulated last year.

‘I looked up and said to Raquel, “Oh you said Sandoval, hmm,” and then we moved on,’ Cohen said. 

Andy Cohen spilled on the bombshell affair between Vanderpump Rules costars Tom Sandoval and Raquel Leviss on his radio show on Monday 

Cohen noted that the answers Leviss (R) gave earlier this month on his show Watch What Happens Live, during a quiz sketch with with Scheana Shay provided an insight into the way she viewed the restauranteur-musician 

Cohen said that answers Leviss gave to a quiz game favoring Sandoval raised his interest 

The answer even caught Shay off-guard, according to Cohen, as ‘Scheana’s antenna was up’ following the revelation from Leviss.

‘I’m going through my cards and … Scheana said to Raquel, “You know, I only picked Sandoval because I knew that you were gonna pick Schwartz,”‘ Cohen recalled. ‘And Raquel said, “Well, Sandoval has abs,” and kind of shrugged.

‘So, you know, that was interesting. And again, I didn’t think twice about it.’

Cohen said that he contacted Shay about the aforementioned discussion over the weekend as the cheating story went public.

‘I DM’d Scheana over the weekend and I go, “What was that conversation that you guys had about that BFF test?”‘ he said. ‘I thought it was odd.’

Cohen noted how Bravo should re-air that episode, and an episode of WWHL that featured Sandoval and Schwartz that aired last month, noting that ‘there was some odd energy between’ the business partners during the appearance.

‘Schwartz was looking to Sandoval the entire time, almost for guidance on answers,’ Cohen said. ‘So the big question is: When did Schwartz find out about this?’

Sandoval said in an apology he released on Instagram Sunday that Schwartz was not in the know about the affair until recently, and disapproved of it once he knew the truth. 

‘Schwartz specifically only found out about this very recently, and most definitely did not condone my actions,’ said Sandoval.

Amid the heat of the scandal, Sandoval asked viewers of the show to keep their anger over the situation aimed at him instead of his family, friends and business associates.

‘Hey, I fully understand an deserve ur anger & disappointment towards me, but please leave Schwartz, my friends and family out of this situation,’ he said. ‘Also, Schwartz & Sandy’s might have my name on it, but also there are 3 other partners and 20 employees, who especially rely on the restaurant for income for them and their families.’

He continued: ‘Just like TomTom, I’m a small part of a much bigger thing. Please direct ur anger towards me and not them. They did nothing wrong. … I will be taking a step back & taking a hiatus out of respect for my employees & partners.’

In the wake of the affair going public, neither Leviss or Madix have commented on the events, and Madix has also deleted her Instagram account.

Sandoval and Madix were seen earlier this year at a premiere party for the show in LA 

Sandoval said in an apology he released on Instagram Sunday that Schwartz was not in the know about the affair until recently, and disapproved of it once he knew the truth 

In another related twist to the situation, sources told People Monday that Bravo producers have been in contact with Sandoval ex Kristen Doute, 40, about a potential return to the program.

‘Vanderpump Rules producers have approached Kristen to come back on the show to talk about’ the situating involving Sandoval, Leviss and Madix,’ a source told the outlet adding that Doute has ‘had her fair share of ups and downs with Sandoval over the years, but right now she’s completely supporting Ariana.’

Doute was fired from the series in 2020 (along with Stassi Schroeder) amid a racism controversy involving former costar Faith Stowers.

Doute was pictured on Tuesday headed to the home Madix and Sandoval shared as cameras rolled on the popular show, to support her friend Madix. 

She was pictured wearing a gray sweater with the phrase ‘Rock & Love’ on the back with a gray plaid top and black leggings and black sandals. She donned brown sunglasses and wore her dark locks down and parted on the sunny day in Southern California. 

Doute took to Instagram Stories with a clip in which she said she was ‘completely exhausted’ by the scandal and the attention surrounding it. 

Doute was critical of Leviss amid the report that she kissed Sandoval on camera, ‘but her narrative from her crisis PR [team] is that she’s now fired because they said she didn’t know any better.’

She added, ‘Pick a lane b****, and  make that lane be not in the United States … bye girl, bye.’

Doute took to Instagram Stories with a clip in which she said she was ‘completely exhausted’ by the scandal and the attention surrounding it

Doute was critical of Leviss amid the report that she kissed Sandoval on camera, ‘but her narrative from her crisis PR [team] is that she’s now fired because they said she didn’t know any better’