Tom Sandoval is opening up about the end of his relationship with Raquel Leviss (who now goes by the name Rachel).

The Vanderpump Rules costars were involved in an affair, which broke the internet after it was revealed earlier this year. The Scandoval, as it came to be called, brought an end to Tom‘s long-term relationship with girlfriend Ariana Madix and shook up the Bravo show’s cast.

After the Scandoval blew up, Tom and Raquel broke up. In a new interview, Tom opened up about how he “fought” for his ex and where he stands now.

Read more about Tom Sandoval’s new interview…

While on the Two Ts in a Pod podcast, Tom explained how he “fought so hard” for Raquel after she entered a treatment program, via Today.

“I stopped drinking. I stopped smoking cigarettes because she went away to a facility. I’m like, ‘She can’t drink, she can’t smoke. I’m going to quit,’” he recalled. “I haven’t gone this long without drinking since I was like 16 and it’s been eight months and I stopped for her.”

He added, “And I was there in any way she needed me.”

Tom said that “of course” he missed Raquel, describing their relationship as “best friends.”

“It’s heartbreaking to go through. I was fully in love with her. This is not just some hot girl. Come on, I was a model for like 15 years, it’s deeper than that. It’s more than that,” he said.

He added that he wasn’t sure if Raquel ever loved him but expressed hope that she did.

Tom has previously opened up about how he and Raquel behaved after the Scandoval broke and revealed where he and Ariana stand now.

If you missed it, he was recently spotted out with a model.