Tom Schwartz was ready to get the hell out of El Lay amid Le Scandoval!

Tom Sandoval, Ariana Madix, and Raquel Leviss weren’t the only ones feeling the heat from the wild cheating scandal — Sandoval’s (former??) bestie was getting super stressed out too! So much so, in fact, Schwartz was planning on leaving his favorite city for good — which of course would also mean quitting Vanderpump Rules.

The 40-year-old dished to People on Wednesday he was ready to “pack up” his stuff and “move” away from Los Angeles for good when the cheating controversy came to a head:

“I had this sort of mounting urge to just pack up my stuff and move, I don’t know where — not run away, but just move.”

Leave without a destination… yeah, that’s running away.

As avid VPR fans know, at the time the cheating scandal broke, Schwartz was still figuring out how to navigate his divorce from Katie Maloney, as well as having some family health scares along the way. While dealing with these things in his private life, suddenly a bomb went off — and he was swept into the Tom, Ariana, and Raquel tidal wave. It all became too much for him to handle.

The Bravo star says he was “yearning to just disconnect, to take a break from the internet, my phone, social media” due to all the stressors life was hurling at him all at once.

Oddly, he found the escape he was looking for not by leaving Hollywood but by jumping into a new reality TV project — Stars on Mars! Alongside William Shatner and other celebs, he tried to survive a space camp that simulated the environment on a Martian space station. Can’t get farther away than that! So Schwarts ended up realizing the show was a great opportunity that “couldn’t have come at a better time”:

“I had romanticized this idea, but once it came time to sort of part ways with my phone, it was scary. … I’m scared of how dependent I am on my cell phone in every facet of life. So it was nice to take a little break from that. And yeah, it felt rejuvenating and restorative. I got a massive infusion of levity and an adventure, and it was kind of just what the doctor ordered.”

And while Schwartz still feels some anxiety about filming Season 11 of Pump Rules, now he says he’s able to allow himself to grow more “optimistic” about it:

“I feel more optimistic. I feel myself again, and I just feel better equipped to handle whatever life throws at me. I feel more me. I feel like myself again. … a fresh perspective, I guess. Yeah, I guess the word is, I feel like I recalibrated. I feel like I just lost my way. I lost my way a little bit. I really did, lost my way and now I’m found.”

AH-Mazing!

A little bit of self-care goes a long way… but don’t get him wrong, he says he’s far from back to being 100%:

“It’s not like I have it all together. I’m a constant work in progress, let’s be honest. I’m clearly a flawed dude. I feel more optimistic heading into this next year and excited. I’m excited. I feel giddy again, a little lighter on my feet.”

And for those he says are worried he’s still just “running away from my problems,” he’s assuring fans he’s facing it all — just “taking it day by day”:

“I’m just taking it day by day right now. I’m not letting myself spend too much time in the future. That’s probably one of my biggest problems in life. I don’t dwell in the past much, but I spend a lot of time in the future — and usually not in a good way. And I just plan on being more present. I need to take every day and be grateful for it, every moment, stop living in the future — Tom. Right now. Be present.”

So awesome! We’re glad to hear Schwartz is in a much better place mentally. We’re goint to need him to be braced for the fallout!

Are U ready for Season 11 of VPR, Perezcious readers?

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