Are Raquel Leviss and Tom Sandoval officially a couple?Charles H. Sloan Not so fast…
 
One day after the Vanderpump Rules star broke her silence amid allegations of a months-long affair with Tom—which led to his split from longtime girlfriend Ariana Madix—the 28-year-old is speaking out about the nature of where they stand today.

"Besides the indefensible circumstances surrounding our relationship, my feelings for Tom have always been sincere and born out of a loving friendship," she tells E! News in a statement. "Knowing how many people we hurt, I need to understand my choices and learn to make better ones."

As Raquel noted, she vows to focus on herself first and foremost.

"I need to take care of my health, work on self-growth and take time to be ok with being alone," she continued. "I care for Tom, and I don't want to label anything or predict what lies ahead. Right now, I need to heal."

The update comes after the reality star issued a public apology to Ariana, 37, after details of her relationship with Tom, 39, came to light.

"I want to apologize for my actions and my choices foremost to Ariana, and to my friends and the fans so invested in our relationships," she wrote in a March 8 Instagram statement. "There is no excuse, I am not a victim and I must own my actions and I deeply regret hurting Ariana."

Raquel—who has since accused co-star Scheana Shay of punching her—also said that she's "been physically assaulted, lost friendships, received death threats and hate emails, in addition to having had my privacy violated."

Hours before Raquel broke her silence, Tom also shared his stance, apologizing to his now ex for his "reckless decisions."

"I made mistakes, I was selfish, and made reckless decisions that hurt somebody I love," he wrote, in part, in a March 7 Instagram post. "No one deserves to feel that pain so traumatically and publicly."

(E! and Bravo are part of the NBCUniversal family).

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