Vanderpump Rules star Tom Sandoval said there were several reasons why Rachel Leviss had decided not to speak to him.

“It hurts me to hear the things that she says because I was always such a champion of her and being empowered by herself and making her own decisions,” he said on an episode of Special Forces: World's Toughest Test that was filmed prior to the start of season 11 of Vanderpump Rules. “I was always the one to push her up and tell her what a smart, powerful woman she is and is becoming.”

He added that “a lot of it had to do with her parents not liking me and being mad that she ended up in this situation and blaming me for that.”

Tom Sandoval Opens Up Why Communication Between Him And Rachel Leviss Stopped

“Obviously, it's partly my fault; it's partly her fault,” he continued. “You know, definitely not blameless, but her publicist would constantly say ‘optics, optics, optics.' And I think the optics of the situation became the priority over anything else.”

On episode three of Vanderpump Rules, he said that he was “hurt” that Leviss did not reach out to him for his birthday.

“Up until a few weeks ago, I was talking to Raquel once every couple days and I thought maybe because it was my birthday she would try to reach out to me in some way, but nothing. I considered her probably my best friend. Obviously, I love her and I miss her,” Sandoval said in his confessional.

“I feel like she abandoned you,” Billie said to Sandoval after he admitted he was hurt that she did not reach out to him for his birthday. “I’ve seen you suffer from this breakup with Ariana but I’ve also seen you suffer with Raquel [Rachel].”

Rachel Leviss Speaks On Life After “Scandoval”

The Schwartz & Sandy's co-owner cheated on his girlfriend Ariana Madix with Leviss which caused the end of their relationship. Madix and Sandoval dated for nine years. The affair was dubbed “Scandoval” and attracted a lot of public scrutiny for the parties involved.

She opened up about the scandal and how it took a toll on her to PEOPLE earlier this month.

“It was a very difficult time for me,” Leviss said. “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.”

Vanderpump Rules airs Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET on Bravo.