Leviss gushed about her Vanderpump costar in a July 2022 interview just prior to when the alleged affair began
Raquel Leviss has been an open admirer of Tom Sandoval well before news of their alleged affair broke last week.
The "Vanderpump Rules" stars have recently made headlines after Sandoval and his girlfriend Ariana Madix split after nine years following reports she discovered he had been cheating with Leviss.
Fans have unearthed an interview dating back to July 2022 where Leviss gushed about her close friendship with Sandoval in an interview with E! News during the grand opening festivities of his cocktail lounge, Schwartz & Sandys.
Andy Cohen Reveals 'Odd' Raquel-Scheana Moment from WWHL Days Before Affair Scandal
View Story"Yeah, I've gotten really close with Scheana [Shay] and Ariana, and then Sandoval as well," the 28-year-old TV personality beamed. "I feel like he's become one of my best friends lately."
She didn't hold back on her praises, "He just is so in touch with himself and fully accepting of who he is and is so confident and — I don't know, I feel like he looks at me like a little sister and he's supporting me. And you know, [in] just a very kind way that I really, yeah, he's a really great guy."
Though neither Sandoval nor Leviss have publicly commented on their alleged affair, the 39-year-old restaurateur took to Instagram to share a Story post about how his recent spotlight has affected his businesses.
Scheana Shay and Lala Kent Hit Back at Hypocrite Label Amid Tom Sandoval-Raquel Leviss Scandal
View Story"Hey, I fully understand and deserve ur anger & disappointment towards me, but please leave [Tom] Schwartz, my friends and family out of this situation," he wrote earlier this week. "This was a very personal thing. They did nothing wrong. I will be taking a step back & taking a hiatus out of respect for my employees & partners. I need some time to address everything else. Sorry for everything."
According to E!, the rest of the "Vanderpump Rules" cast -- including Scheana, Katie Maloney and Kristen Doute -- were pictured arriving at Ariana's house to show their support during this difficult time.
Doute later posted a selfie video on her Instagram Story that featured Ariana where she declared, "I stan Ariana. This is in real time."
Fans didn't stop with the July interview when it came to reverse engineering the alleged affair -- see the link below for more unearthed evidence.