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‘Vanderpump Rules’ Star Raquel Leviss Says She Has ‘No Regrets’ About Tom Schwartz Hookup
Living her best life! Vanderpump Rules star Raquel Leviss has “no regrets” about her single status during the show’s forthcoming 10th season, the Bravo personality tells Life & Style exclusively — especially when it comes to her headline-making hookup with costar Tom Schwartz.
News that Raquel, 28, and Tom, 40, had hooked up first broke in August 2022, months after the TomTom restaurant owner and Katie Maloney had announced their divorce that March. Raquel tells Life & Style at the Vanderpump Rules season 10 premiere at SUR on Tuesday, February 7, that some of the show’s fans are giving her “a hard time” about the kiss, noting that they “probably have a soft spot for Katie, which is completely understandable.”
Tom and Katie were together for 12 years and married for three before announcing their split.
“As a single person, I feel like I’m putting myself first for the very first time in my life, and I thought that Schwartz was very [and] has always been super sweet,” Raquel explains. “I was never really attracted to him or thought of him in that way until after James and I broke up. So, it was something that interested me, and I gave it a shot.”
Raquel, for her part, joined VPR as DJ James Kennedy‘s girlfriend in season 5. The got engaged during the show’s ninth season and announced their split during the reunion later that same year.
“After these five wonderful years we had together, we decided we have two different goals and made the decision to call off the engagement,” they shared in a statement from December 2021. “We love each other very much, but we aren’t in love anymore. We want nothing but the best for each other so please keep any thoughts positive. Sending Love.”
While James, 31, has since moved on with Ally Lewber, his ex is loving life as a single woman! Now, as season 10 premieres on Wednesday, February 8, fans are going to see a whole new side of Raquel. The former pageant queen teases to Life & Style that she’ll be “getting into a lot of new situations” as new episodes continue to air.
“Dating a lot, I guess getting and ruffling some feathers. You’ll see a lot of fun stuff,” she shares. “I feel like this season has been so different for me than any of the other seasons in the past and I’ve gained kind of like this independence. So, I think that’ll come through a lot.”
Reporting by Olivia Jakiel
