Tom Sandoval admits when he first got interested in Raquel Leviss

Scandoval goes far back. 

“Vanderpump Rules” star Tom Sandoval, 39, who notoriously cheated on his girlfriend Ariana Madix, 37, with her ex-friend, Raquel Leviss, 28, has revealed when he became interested in Leviss. 

The news of their affair became public in March — in an event dubbed “Scandoval.”

During Wednesday’s “Vanderpump Rules” reunion episode, Sandoval said, “Honestly, throughout last year, like toward like beginning of the year, I really started to see and get to know who [Leviss] really was.” 

He also revealed that they first became physical in August 2022 — which means that he cheated on Madix, his girlfriend of nearly 10 years, for at least seven months. 

“They were filming,” Sandoval told host Andy Cohen. 

“We weren’t a part of it. But then a bunch of us went to the Abbey. [We had sex] that night.”

Madix has since stated that Sandoval and Leviss had a shot at redeeming themselves.

“I think any chance that either of them separately had for [redemption] ended when they started giving trash interviews victimizing themselves,” she told the New York Times, referring to Leviss’ TMZ interview and Sandoval’s Howie Mandel interview. 

In her TMZ interview, Leviss said the whole ordeal has been “a lot” for her. Meanwhile, in his April appearance on Mandel’s podcast, Sandoval gushed about his infidelity, which didn’t win him any public popularity points.

“I felt something that I hadn’t felt in so long, like, emotionally,” he said about his first kiss with Leviss. 

He described Leviss as “so awesome,” “so kind,” “smart,” “witty,” “fun,” “beautiful” and “f–king amazing.”

Madix has also stated that Sandoval and Leviss “had sex in my guest room while I was sleeping next door.”

The scandal has caused a renewed interest in “Vanderpump Rules” to the extent that some fans have speculated it might be staged, just to drum up interest.

Bravo has denied that claim to The Post.

The show, which has aired since 2013, had been getting stale. But after the news about Scandoval broke, the show enjoyed a 30% bump in viewership.

On the reunion special, Sandoval said that he didn’t fess up to Madix about his affair earlier because, “I was obviously scared to.

“I think also she was going through a lot during that time,” he said, referring to the fact that her beloved dog died. “And I didn’t want to add anything.”

Sandoval’s best friend and business partner, Tom Schwartz, also confirmed that he’s know about the affair since August.

An additional “secrets revealed” special of “Vanderpump Rules” will air June 14 at 9 p.m on Bravo.