Raquel Leviss empathized with fellow former pageant queen Bryiana Dyrdek announcing she has been diagnosed with autism.
“I can relate💖💖💖,” the “Vanderpump Rules” star, who has been relatively quiet on social media since her affair with co-star Tom Sandoval, commented Tuesday morning on Dyrdek’s Instagram post.
“sending you love Bryiana 💛,” she added.
Leviss, 28, has not publicly discussed having autism before, and her rep didn’t immediately return Page Six’s request for clarification.
Dyrdek, who is married to former pro skateboarder and “Ridiculousness” star Rob Dyrdek, shared a lengthy statement Monday night after a “few months of privately processing” being diagnosed with autism at age 31.
“I’ve finally reached the acceptance phase of my late diagnosis and am filled with more hope and peace than ever before,” she wrote in the caption. “So if you see me acting different, it’s because I am 🦄.”
Bryiana explained that becoming involved in the pageant circuit “allowed her own little world to exist IN the real world AND in a socially acceptable manner.”
“Pageantry taught her how to make eye contact, speak to others with appropriate responses, disguise her repetitive movements, still play dress up and MAKE FRIENDS?!” she continued, reflecting on her younger self in the third person.
The mom of two admitted to being “scared” to address her December 2022 diagnosis because she feared she would be “doubted, shamed, and challenged.”
“But I’ve finally reached the acceptance phase of my ASD late diagnosis and am filled with more hope and peace than ever,” she concluded.
The CDC defines autism spectrum disorder (ASD) as “a developmental disability caused by differences in the brain” that cause those diagnosed to “behave, communicate, interact and learn in ways that are different from most other people.”
For more Page Six reality TV updates
Leviss’ Instagram comment marks the first time fans have noticed her being active on the platform since she issued two statements apologizing for having an affair Sandoval, who was in a nearly 10-year relationship with Ariana Madix at the time.
“I am learning things about myself such as my patterns of codependency and addiction to being and feeling loved,” she wrote on March 8.
“I have sought emotional validation through intimate connections that are not healthy without regard for my own well-being, sometimes negatively affecting others and often prioritizing the intimate connection over my friendships.”
Page Six confirmed on March 3 that Madix, 37, discovered Leviss and Sandoval, 40, had been “communicating inappropriately” for months after she found a sexually explicit video of Leviss on her now-ex’s phone two days prior.
Sources told us that a “blindsided” and “heartbroken” Madix subsequently dumped Sandoval.
The aftermath of what has been nicknamed “Scandoval” will play out in upcoming episodes of “Vanderpump Rules” — including Madix and Sandoval’s intense one-on-one conversation in which she told him “to die.”
“Vanderpump Rules” airs Wednesdays at 9 p.m. ET on Bravo.
