“I fell apart”: Vanderpump Rules star Tom Schwartz opens up about divorce from ex-wife Katie Maloney

Vanderpump Rules star Tom Schwartz spoke to Us Weekly on June 23, 2023, and opened up about his journey so far after his divorce from co-star Katie Maloney. According to People Magazine, Schwartz and Maloney met in 2011 and dated for five years before getting married in 2016. However, the couple, who are on the main cast of Vanderpump Rules, announced their divorce in March 2022.

While Tom Schwartz's stint on Vanderpump Rules was quite controversial, he recently appeared in Stars on Mars season one. However, before joining the Fox show, Tom went through a challenging period in his life and admitted to feeling lost and broken. That being said, he noted that his time on Stars on Mars has acted as a catalyst for change.

During his recent interview with Us Weekly, he said that for the past few years, he floundered a bit.

“I kind of feel like I fell apart, but coming up here, it gave me a fresh perspective on everything. It gave me the overview effect,” he told the publication.

As mentioned earlier, Katie Maloney filed for divorce from Tom Schwartz in March 2022, citing "irreconcilable differences."

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Tom Schwartz admitted to "wallowing" following his divorce from Katie Maloney

Schwartz and Maloney had been together for over a decade before they decided to part ways. However, they stated that they had a deep admiration for each other and also emphasized the absence of animosity and resentment toward each other.

Katie Maloney took to Instagram to announce her divorce from the Vanderpump Rules star. In her post she wrote that the former couple had decided to end their marriage and that it wasn't met with resentment or animosity and that there were "no sides to choose."

Since the divorce, Tom Schwartz has admitted he has been wallowing for the past year as seen by the Vanderpump Rules fans.

After wrapping one of the most controversial seasons of Vanderpump Rules and going through his divorce from Katie, Star on Mars offered him a much-needed solace. He explained that for him it was like when astronauts went into space and look down at Earth and feel a "cognitive shift," leading them to see the world differently.

“I needed to just reset my mind and I accomplished that up there. I really did. I was stuck in my own little sad story, kinda wallowing a little bit for the past year. And, [Stars on Mars] snapped me out of it, and I feel like I’m myself again,” the Vanderpump Rules star said.

The pair agreed not to pursue any sort of romantic relationship within their Vanderpump Rules' friend group. However, when Schwartz got involved with Raquel Leviss in August 2022, it only strained his relationship with Maloney.

Tom Schwartz was also involved in one of the most controversial scandals in the history of reality TV - Scandoval, aka the affair between Tom Sandoval and Raquel. The couple had a more than six-month-long affair behind Sandoval's long-term girlfriend Ariana Madix's back.

Tom Schwartz received a lot of backlash from fans for his involvement in the affair which is another reason behind his rejuvenation. In a recent episode of Stars on Mars, Schwartz also revealed that he will be "stepping away" from his friendship with Tom Sandoval.

He claimed that he felt more "refined" and "a little more stoic."

"I feel just a little bit more ready to take on whatever life throws at me, you know? I haven’t been necessarily proud of how I’ve responded to some adversity in the past year. … It was therapeutic, in a way, up there,” he quipped.

While season 10 of Vanderpump Rules along with all of its reunions aired recently, fans are sure to see some more drama when Bravo will release Vanderpump Rules season 11. It is worth noting that the cast is yet to begin filming the new season.