Why 'Vanderpump Rules' Star Raquel Leviss Had Exit Plan Before James Kennedy Split

"Vanderpump Rules" star Raquel Leviss is opening up about her split from her ex-fiancé and co-star James Kennedy for the first time.

Weeks after they announced their breakup in December 2021, Leviss appeared on her castmate Scheana Shay's "Scheananigans" podcast Friday and revealed that she had an exit strategy in place before calling off her engagement to Kennedy because she was "concerned" about how he might react.

She shared that she realized she didn't want to be in a relationship with Kennedy anymore on Thanksgiving. "And because James does have a history of acting out and being angry, my mom and I were both concerned that he wasn’t going to have a good reaction when I told him, so I wasn’t planning on saying anything until he went out of town," Leviss was quoted by Page Six as saying.

Leviss went on to reveal that Kennedy wasn't aware of her plans.

She then explained why she joined him and their co-stars and fellow couple Tom Sandoval and Ariana Madix on a trip to Disneyland on Nov. 30 after realizing that she wanted to end their relationship. According to Leviss, she felt the need to "put on an act" before the split in order to "make sure that I was safe."

"Disneyland just isn’t as fun when you aren’t in love with the person that you’re with anymore, so it wasn’t my favorite experience," the reality star added. "I’m so happy that Ariana and Tom came."

As for the moment that ultimately led to their breakup, Leviss said that she and Kennedy — who had been together for about five years and lived together for three — got into an argument while watching "Vanderpump Rules" episodes to prep for the Season 9 reunion that taped last month.

The former pageant queen said she felt as though he "didn't support her emotionally" during filming, and when she told him about how she felt, he was allegedly upset.

Leviss then told Kennedy that she had been "lying" to him about how she felt about his actions and that she didn't like the way he treated other people, referencing his many on-camera outbursts over the years.

In addition, she said Kennedy wasn't "meshing well" with her family, and she couldn't ignore this red flag anymore.

Leviss admitted she had been "preparing for the worst" when she finally told him that it was over, but she was relieved that he listened to her.

"It was the best possible outcome, I guess, that it could have been because he really did listen to me and was understanding of where I was coming from," she added. "He respected my decision. ‘If your heart isn’t in it anymore, then I understand; we need to go our separate ways.'"

The SUR employee noted that she’s currently in therapy and has been working on herself since they called it quits.

Leviss and Kennedy got engaged in May 2021 after five years of dating, and their Coachella-themed engagement played out on this season of "Vanderpump Rules."

However, six months later, Kennedy and Leviss announced their split last month via their respective Instagram accounts after filming the reunion. In their joint statement, they said that they have different goals and "aren't in love anymore."

"Vanderpump Rules" airs Tuesdays at 9 p.m. EST on Bravo.