‘Vanderpump Rules’ Tom Sandoval Stopped Drinking After Affair Scandal With Raquel Leviss: “Saved My Life”

Scandoval' seems to have really affected those involved very badly. On his brand-new podcast, Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval disclosed that the long-drawn scandal involving his alleged affair and romance with co-star Raquel Leviss caused him to give up alcohol and go sober, per PageSix.

“I haven’t drank since — I believe it was April 4th or 5th,” he opened up while talking on the premiere episode of his podcast, which he has decided to call Everybody Loves Tom. “I didn’t really tell a lot of people during the process. I think that kind of helps. I also quit smoking cigarettes. I was kind of at the point where I was just chain-smoking cigarettes all day, every day.”

The reality TV star explained in a talk with the drummer of his cover band, Jason Bader, that it got so bad that he would start drinking as soon as he finished working out. “If I wasn’t working out, I was drinking,” he explained, adding, “If I wasn’t drinking, I was working out.”

Sandoval, 41, said he made the choice when his band was on tour because his "nerves" had been on edge ever since the fallout from his cheating on long-term fiancée Ariana Madix with co-star Rachel. Pre-'Scandoval', the name given to the scandal by fans of the show, the podcast host would have at least "three shots, three beers" to calm down. But, he said, he went cold turkey and refused to drink or smoke despite how "angry" people felt at him. 

“What really sucked, too, was seeing people like be really mean to the fellow band members,” he shared, recalling that Maddie, the female lead singer in their cover band would be “heckled beyond belief.”

Although Tom Sandoval and the Most Extras had the option of canceling their tour, the Bravo star admitted he "had" to go because he had lost endorsements and projects such as Winter House.

“Honestly, I think that you know, quitting the drinking, you know, and going on tour like it might have actually saved my life,” the star shared, expressing that the decision to sober up came exactly on the day that his co-star and ex-flame, Leviss, got herself checked into a mental health facility. “I can’t imagine being cooped up because I couldn’t go anywhere at the time, you know, being cooped up in a place, not being able to do anything, just wallowing in misery.”

Sandoval promises that in future episodes of the podcast, he will reveal "juicy, behind-the-scenes [Pump Rules] stories to discussions about music, fashion, cocktails, and so much more." He will also be appearing in Season 2 of Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, which airs on Fox. The Bravo celebrity is also currently filming the next installment, i.e., Season 11 of Pump Rules.