Ariana Madix Is 'Completely In Denial' About Tom Sandoval Split, Ex-Boyfriend Claims

Tom Sandoval claimed that he and Ariana Madix were no longer together before his affair with Raquel Leviss leaked.

Sandoval appeared on "Howie Mandel Does Stuff" Tuesday. During his appearance, he shared some new details about his split from Madix, claiming that they broke up in February, weeks before she found out about his affair with their "Vanderpump Rules" co-star, Leviss.

"I actually did break up with her on Valentine's Day," he told host Howie Mandel, E! News reported. "I had already broken up with her two weeks earlier."

The TomTom co-owner said that Madix, whom he dated for nine years, was "very upset" and would not allow them to break up. He claimed she was "completely in denial and not accepting it."

"I sit down to talk to her, and she's like, 'I'm not letting you leave me. You're going to have to force me out of this relationship,'" he said of Ariana's alleged response. "I was like, 'Ariana, I don't think I could be faithful in a relationship with you right now.'"

Sandoval said he suggested to Madix to keep their split quiet as they "figure out a way to navigate this." However, he also admitted that he did not disclose his relationship with the 28-year-old former beauty pageant contestant to Madix.

He added that after a boys' trip to Miami, he hadn't contacted Madix anymore because, for him, they were no longer together. However, Sandoval claimed that Madix continued to act like they were still together until she checked his phone and discovered his affair with Leviss.

According to previous reports, Madix found a sexually explicit video of Leviss in Sandoval's phone. She also discovered that they had been communicating inappropriately for months. The discovery reportedly prompted her to dump Sandoval.

"It's the most upset and angry I've ever seen her," he said of Madix. "I think she went through my phone to see if anything had happened with someone in Miami, but we were broken up. She knew we were broken up. We didn't tell anybody."

In the same interview, he recounted his first kiss with Leviss, which he said was "magnetic." Sandoval said he was "in a very dark place," and his relationship with Madix lacked intimacy, which drew him to Leviss.

"After Raquel and I kissed, I got my a-- into therapy immediately," Sandoval said. "The feelings were very strong, and those feelings that I had started to take over logic. All that s--t went out the window because I hadn't experienced that...but the environment that it created — with the lying, the sleeping around — was very unhealthy."

An unnamed source previously told Page Six that Leviss and Sandoval "want to be together" now that they're both single. However, both also said they're not putting any label on their relationship.