Rachel “Raquel” Leviss is shedding light on her recent breakup with businessman Matthew Dunn. The Vanderpump Rules alum, 29, opened up on her podcast, Rachel Goes Rogue, about why she decided to end her relationship with Dunn after just a month of dating.
In the episode that aired on Friday, June 28, Leviss explained that Dunn’s actions contradicted his words. “I asked him not to post on social media because it was too soon in the relationship,” she said. “We were dating for a month.”
However, after attending a music festival together in April, Dunn updated his Facebook profile photo to include Leviss, which forced her to publicly confirm their relationship. “The media caught wind of that, and it was just this whole thing,” Leviss explained, adding that she “had to end it,” which she admitted “was hard.”
“It was sad because we had a good connection, good conversation, and he was emotionally stable and emotionally intelligent,” she continued. “Obviously, those are standard things, but those were new things for me to experience.”
Leviss speculated on why Dunn decided to share the photo despite her request. “It just seemed like maybe he either had an impulse control issue, because we agreed not to do that — or he wanted to post to show me off.”
In April, Leviss’s publicist told PEOPLE that the star’s romance with the businessman was still in its early stages. “It’s a little too soon to jump to any labels,” her rep said at the time. “They met a little over a month ago and are friends just getting to know each other. They met and are hanging out.”
News of Leviss dating Dunn came more than a year after her headline-making affair with former VPR costar Tom Sandoval became public. Shortly after, the television personality opened up about her decision to take a break from dating. “I’m not dating for a year, and in doing that, I’m just focusing on myself and after this talk, focusing on my emotions that come up for me, like what are my own needs that I need met, and not adding an additional person into the equation, so that it is just focused on me and other people, as well my friends and family and the people that are in my inner circle that are safe friends,” she said in a January episode of Rachel Goes Rogue.
In February, Leviss told PEOPLE that after finding herself at the center of the scandal, she learned about the importance of self-care. Reflecting on the height of the Scandoval drama, the reality star said, “It was a very difficult time for me. I felt like I wasn’t going to get through it at some moments, and so I’m just so happy that I’m able to see the light at the end of the tunnel and finally reintegrate into the real world.”
“I’m proud of how far I’ve come,” she added. “I’ve been working really hard on making sure I’m putting my mental health first and really putting myself first.”
Leviss further elaborated on her breakup with Dunn, saying, “It was sad because we had a good connection, good conversation, and he was emotionally stable and emotionally intelligent. Those were new things for me to experience.” She suggested that Dunn might have had issues with “impulse control” or simply wanted to “show me off.”
The photo in question, which went viral in April, featured Dunn in a button-up shirt and tie with his arm around Leviss. The ex Bravo personality was all smiles in the snap, wearing a sparkling pink dress. When Dunn also posted a group snap to Instagram in front of a waterfall, Leviss commented that the outing had been “an incredible experience.” Dunn replied with a kissing emoji, “It was.”
Friday’s episode marked Leviss’ first time speaking about the romance rumors surrounding herself and Dunn. She spoke to a dating coach on air, telling listeners she is looking for a partner who is “safe and reliable.”
Leviss added that her “worst case scenario” in dating is “falling in love with someone who is not a good quality person.” The former pageant queen was previously engaged to James Kennedy for six months in 2021. In March 2023, she shocked Bravo fans — and the world — with her and Tom Sandoval’s months-long affair amid his long-term relationship with her friend Ariana Madix.
Leviss has not appeared on Vanderpump Rules since the scandal came to light, besides attending Season 10’s scathing reunion. While she and Sandoval, 41, continued their romance while she was seeking mental health treatment in Arizona, the exes called it quits by May 2023. The Tom Sandoval and the Most Extras frontman has since moved on with Victoria Lee Robinson, while Madix, for her part, began dating Daniel Wai last year.
Leviss also recently shared that she wants to date again but has a new rule when it comes to having sex. She said, “I’m looking forward to it. I’m looking for someone who is safe and reliable and emotionally mature, emotionally stable, and someone who’s gonna treat me right.” She added, “I definitely wouldn’t sleep with someone on the third date, especially because I already have a reputation. [I] don’t need people making assumptions about me being easy.”
She also shared that she was advised not to have sex with new suitors until they have been together for at least two months. However, she wants to take it up a notch and go for three months. She feels that she moved too fast with James despite it turning into something she calls real. She also shared that she feels abstaining from sex allows her to get to know people “on a deeper level.”
Fans can listen to the Rachel Goes Rogue podcast on all platforms.
Source: PEOPLE, Page Six
