Why did Raquel leave Vanderpump Rules?
Why did Raquel leave Vanderpump Rules? News broke that Raquel—whose real name is Rachel Leviss—was leaving Vanderpump Rules after Season 10 in August 2023. A source told Entertainment Tonight at the time that Raquel considered coming back for Vanderpump Rules Season 11 but, in the end, decided to leave to focus on her mental health. “Rachel will not be returning for season 11 of Vanderpump Rules. There was a possibility up until recently she’d be returning for the new season, but ultimately decided against it,” the insider said. “Rachel is focused on her mental health journey and knew going back to the show would open her up to trauma she’s been working on healing. Rachel is looking forward to what the future holds for her.”
Raquel’s decision to leave Vanderpump Rules came four months after news broke that she had checked into a mental health treatment facility. “[Rachel] and her family decided before the relationship was discovered that she would enter a voluntary facility for mental health counseling,” a representative for Raquel told Entertainment Tonight at the time. “She was scheduled to go in pre-reunion but decided she wanted to finish her filming commitment. Bravo and production were aware and in support of her journey towards better mental health.”
After her time in the mental health treatment facility, Raquel went to stay with her family in Arizona. “Rachel will not be returning for season 11 of Vanderpump Rules. There was a possibility up until recently she’d be returning for the new season, but ultimately decided against it,” a source told Entertainment Tonight in August 2023. “Rachel is focused on her mental health journey and knew going back to the show would open her up to trauma she’s been working on healing. Rachel is looking forward to what the future holds for her.”
In an episode of her podcast, “Rachel Goes Rogue,” in December 2023, Raquel also explained that she chose to leave Vanderpump Rules to not cause more “pain” toward cast member Ariana Madix. “I could only imagine the pain I would cause by filming in the same environment with Ariana,” she said. “Being involved with somebody’s boyfriend while they’re still in a relationship is a huge betrayal and so painful as it is.”
She went on to also compare her affair with Tom Sandoval to her ex-fiance, James Kennedy. “Then to continue working with these people,” she said. “And seeing the person that you loved so much and you thought they loved you just as much as you loved them, be conversing with this other person, it would just be so catastrophic, and I didn’t want to do that to Ariana. I didn’t want to put her in that position.”
She continued, “Looking back at that season, I was at my lowest of lows. Filming Vanderpump Rules after breaking off an engagement with James, that was my first mistake, because I should’ve taken the time to heal and find a therapist.” She went on to explain how she’s started to “gain some clarity” on the affair since cutting ties with Tom. “This is not an excuse, but I was not in a good mental space,” she said. “It was a hard process to completely cut him out of my life.” She continued, “It’s really embarrassing. But I see a girl who is going through pain and doesn’t have the right tools to tackle it, and she’s coping in the way that she feels like her needs are being met.”
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