The two reveal how long they've gone without having sex, before she gives back the ring.
It didn't take long for a shocking revelation to drop during Part 1 of the "Vanderpump Rules" reunion on Tuesday night -- as James Kennedy and Raquel Leviss revealed they were calling off their engagement just minutes into the episode.
Andy Cohen noted something was clearly "afoot" between them after simply asking how they were, as James replied by saying, "been better." As he started to share the news, James asked Raquel to do the honors.
"We've decided to break off the engagement. And it's been something that I've been thinking about for a while and I think that James has noticed that my heart hasn't been fully in it," she shared. "I didn't want to give up on him because he has shown me how dedicated he is to me and the things that he's willing to do to better himself."
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View StoryIt's clear their costars were shocked, as Scheana Shay was seen asking Ariana Madix, "Did you know?" Ari responded by telling her, "No idea." There were surprised faces all around the room as Leviss continued to explain what went wrong.
"I feel like it's something deep within. I've been having nightmares about our wedding day and I think that's like a tell-tale sign that something's wrong," she shared. "It's been a gradual realization and I haven't been able to take a step back and reflect on myself until very recently."
When Andy asked whether she was the one who broke it off, she said they "both came to the conclusion" together, before James started praising his now ex.
"Raquel, she's such an amazing woman and I'll tell you she's got the f---ing balls to f---ing put it out on the table and as heartbreaking as it is for me, she's not f---ing wrong," he said, before starting to get choked up. "We worked on our relationship and I feel like after I quit drinking, I just thought that would fix it, but it didn't quite fix it all. We had a conversation a couple months ago and I asked her if I'm your soul mate, do you think? She said, 'Do you think I'm your soul mate?' It was almost like the first time I felt like we weren't destined in the galaxy. It wasn't a clear answer, like, 'Absolutely you're my soul mate.' That's how it should be, I feel like, at least that's what I want."
"We'd rather just end it and pull the band aid off before we get married, have a baby and f---ing get a divorce," he added. "That's literally the last thing I want. I don't want to get a divorce."
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View StoryAriana and Tom Sandoval were clearly taken aback, as the two had just gone to Disneyland with James and Raquel days before the reunion. "I'm completely floored," said Ariana, while Tom expressed surprise over "how mature and rational" the two were being. "I'm just so shocked," he added, as Lisa Vanderpump exclaimed, "I had no idea!"
"I'm 29 years old for god's sake. She's so young, she's got dreams, she's got aspirations, she got her whole life ahead of her," James passionately continued. "I want Raquel to be the happiest. I want her to find her f---ing soul mate. And when she's asked, 'Are we soul mates?' I want her to jump and say, 'Yes.'"
When asked whether he still believes she's his soul mater, James said no, before apologizing to the group and Raquel.
"She's been my best friend for five years. She's gotten me through so much. We're just growing up and you can't f---ing fight that," he continued. "It's just a matter of being real about it, honestly. There's nothing wrong, but we both know that it isn't right."
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View StoryThe two were then asked what's changed between them, when Raquel made a surprising reveal about their sex life ... or lack thereof.
"We haven't been having sex in a while," she said, as a clearly frustrated James shot her a look and said, "Oh, you want to get all detailed like that?" He then added, "It's been a while, it's been through Covid."
"It's been since those rage texts that James sent me," added Raquel, as Andy noted that heated moment didn't even happen this past season. "That was two summers ago!" exclaimed Scheana, as footage flashed back to 2019.
"So even at your engagement party at Coachella, you weren't having sex then?" asked Andy. "It was a once a month type thing," said James, with Raquel adding, "Yeah, when it happened, it was passionate, we were in love with each other."
Looking back at this past season -- which began with their engagement and ended with an engagement party -- James said it's "embarrassing" in hindsight. "We went through a lot and we did it big," he added.
Later in the hour, Raquel gave back the engagement ring. "It's hard," she said while handing it over. "I envisioned a life with James and it's something I fantasized about a lot. So it's kind of like closing that book and just redirecting my energy somewhere else."
Part 2 of the reunion airs Wednesday night on Bravo.