Ariana Madix reflects on ex Tom Sandoval’s ‘devastating’ cheating scandal in Dancing With the Stars debut

Ariana Madix has opened up about the “devastating” cheating scandal that rocked her and the cast of Vanderpump Rules.

The Bravo reality TV star, 38, made her Dancing With the Stars debut on Tuesday 26 September during the show’s season 32 premiere. Her appearance on the hit dancing competition comes nearly six months after “Scandoval” - when her ex-partner of nine years, Tom Sandoval, was found to be having a months-long affair with their Vanderpump Rules co-star, Rachel “Raquel” Leviss.

During the DWTS premiere, Madix detailed how she’s moving on since the headline-grabbing cheating scandal earlier this year. “My life has been a roller coaster in the last year,” Madix said, before she performed the tango with dance partner Pasha Pashkov. “My partner of nine years and one of my best girlfriends were having an affair behind my back. And everybody got to watch it all play out and my life blow up on television.”

“But this scandal does not define me,” she added.

When asked by pro dancer Pashkov why she decided to join DWTS, Madix explained that she wanted “to do something that is for me and positive” and it was “time for me to stand on my own two feet”.

She continued: “Feeling like you were a joke to your partner of nine years is devastating, but I want to show other women that you don’t have to let that hold you back.”

Madix, who’s currently dating fitness coach Daniel Wai, promised fans she’ll display “a more confident and vibrant version of myself” during her DWTS tenure, adding: “Because I don’t need anybody else. I love me.”

The Fancy AF Cocktails author and her dance partner then performed a tango to “Love Myself” by Hailee Steinfeld, as Madix stunned in a shimmery red cut-out dress that closely resembled the “revenge dress” she wore to the Vanderpump Rules season 10 reunion, where she confronted Sandoval and Leviss about their infidelity for the first time.

Even DWTS judges Bruno Tonioli and Carrie Ann Inaba chimed in on the “Scandoval” cheating scandal, as they gave their critiques to Madix after her performance. “Ariana strikes back with a vengeance!” said Tonioli, while Inaba proclaimed: “Can I just say as a woman, cheaters suck! They suck. But you just showed every woman and every man who was watching how you handle a cheater. You come out here and turn it up!”

Madix and Pashkov went on to earn a total score of 21, tying for second place with Jason Mraz and Daniella Karagach. Bachelorette star Charity Lawson and her partner, Artem Chigvintsev, came in first place with a total score of 22.

In March, it was revealed that longtime Vanderpump Rules cast member Sandoval had engaged in a six-month long affair with his co-star, Leviss. Madix and Sandoval were in a relationship for nearly 10 years at the time of the scandal, but the two have since gone their separate ways.

Following the breakout of the scandal, multiple outlets reported that Sandoval and Leviss had been “communicating inappropriately for months”. They claimed that Madix was “blindsided by the cheating” and noted that she feels “betrayed” by Leviss, whom she considered a “friend”.

Both Sandoval and Leviss issued apologies to Madix in the wake of the scandal, while Bravo cameras picked back up to capture the fallout of Sandoval and Madix’s relationship for the show’s 10th season. Soon after, it was reported that Sandoval and Leviss had broken up just two months after their affair was revealed.

Vanderpump Rules, which premiered on Bravo in 2013, follows the lives of servers and bartenders working at Real Housewives of Beverly Hills star Lisa Vanderpump’s restaurant, SUR Restaurant and Lounge.