Ariana Madix wants to give Tom Sandoval 'serious grief of his own' while building 'fragile self

Sep 23, 2023

ARIANA Madix is pressing on with her public tit-for-tat with her cheating ex until she feels stronger, a psychologist has said.

And she claimed the TV star could start up reckless "flings with younger men" after Tom Sandoval's shock affair.

Recently, Ariana Madix uploaded pics of a new look lifestyle on her Instagram feed. She also wrote "Lately" in the comments section.

The Bravo star's May 25 post included photos of her partying with friends, and another draped over her new man, Daniel Wai.

One image showed her swigging casually from a champagne bottle while grinning.

Fans commented that Ariana didn't seem upset given her split with Tom Sandoval over his secret fling with co-star Raquel Leviss.

They asked: "You don't look that heartbroken? Make viewing figures I suppose?"

The Vanderpump Rules star, 37, shut down the claim, replying: "Girl BFFR."

Ariana's Instagram post appeared shortly after Part 1 of the Vanderpump Rules Reunion aired on Bravo.

Season 10's explosive reunion is spread over three episodes. It was filmed immediately after news of the affair broke in March.

Part 2 of the reunion, airing tonight, is set to show the dramatic moment when Ariana first confronts Raquel.

Its trailer featured a clip of host Andy Cohen asking if there is a path forward.

In an exclusive interview, psychologist Jo Hemmings told The U.S. Sun: "Ariana's path forward is to show she has confidence and strength, but she wants to make Tom look increasingly foolish.

"Her Instagram pics showing off her new lifestyle are pure revenge.

"She is executing her tit-for-tat in the healthiest possible way.

"Revenge is not only a dish best served cold.

"It is at its best when served with more than a flourish of support.

"This means her gaggle of friends is helping to reassure her that the cheating partner will have some serious grief of his own.

"She is getting the kind of positive reaction that Team Ariana also has.

"This shores her up while feeding her fragile self-esteem.

"Ariana will play this out for another month.

"Then she will have the emotional dignity and integrity to stop.

"Ariana may also need to be a little reckless for a while, which means a few flings and even some with younger men.

"She just needs to get that sadness out of her system.

"Ariana will also use and need her friends to reassure her that she's on the right track."

The affair, labeled as "Scandoval," came to light after Ariana found a video of Tom and Raquel on his phone.

The pair's nine-year relationship ended with Tom, 40, declaring on Instagram: "I need some time to address everything else. Sorry for everything."

The restaurant owner also said on a podcast: "I'm finally getting time to start reflecting on the situation because I never thought I would get myself in a situation like this."

The swarthy musician also batted off other cheating rumors with cast member Billie Lee.

Ariana, on the other hand, has shown plenty of emotion and anger throughout and has posted about her journey on Instagram.

In March, she was photographed screaming and throwing up her middle finger.

Then, during the Call Her Daddy podcast, Ariana fumed: "I think they had sex in my guest room while I was sleeping in my own bed that he and I went to bed in together, and then he left the bed and went to the guest room and f***ed her."

The TV star also shot down ongoing rumors that she and her former partner had an open relationship.

She claimed: "Honestly, I think that rumor came from him."

"This is such a layered, complex story with many twists and turns for Ariana," added Jo.

"The essence of it is that she was betrayed not only by her boyfriend of nine years but by a colleague she thought she could trust.

"The friends she has left are invaluable in the healing process.

"They will support and reassure her and won't judge her for her decisions.

"They can also point out all those flaws that love blindsided her.

"Amplify that by being in the spotlight and having people giving their opinions freely and vociferously – pretty much all in her favor.

"Generally, this helps some people recognize that the man they loved and trusted is not only a sneak, a cheat, and a liar.

"Then with Tom's lack of support, he grows weaker by the day.

"She will feel empowered and stronger in equal measure.

"Ariana probably already recognizes that she deserves so much better than Tom as well."

Ariana joined the show in 2013 while appearing in TV shows such as Anger Management and Dads.

After kicking off her relationship with Tom in 2014, the Florida-born model tried her hand at becoming an author. In 2019, they released a cocktail book together.

Ariana has worked on commercials for brands like Bic and Uber One outside of reality TV since the split.

In April, she also went public with her new fitness trainer boyfriend Daniel when they partied at Coachella.

Speaking on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen she said: "There's definitely a lot of healing and a lot of things I need to work through."

She added: "But I hope it ends up being ultimately super positive."

Our expert notes that Ariana is making positive progress.

"Ariana is already spending time in herself, getting out there, and being seen with other attractive men," added Judi.

"This is fuelling positive speculation that she has learned to move on.

"For Tom, he can apologize all he likes – but this would be way too late in the day.

"The damage has been done. Both his career and personal life will nosedive for a while.

"Tom needs to keep quiet and maintain a low-key profile until this scandal blows over.

"If he does anything else, he is going to prolong the negative press surrounding him."