Tino Franco Speaks Out About His Split from Rachel Recchia

ABC Fans are outraged with how Tino Franco was treated on ATFR.

Tino Franco is opening up about the aftermath of his breakup with former Bachelorette Rachel Recchia. Tino proposed to Rachel on the season 19 finale of “The Bachelorette,” but the two never made it down the aisle. Instead, they revealed they had called it quits during the drama-filled “After the Final Rose” special, which aired directly after the September 20 finale on ABC.

In a clip shown during the special, Tino revealed to Rachel that he had kissed another woman during a hard time in their relationship. The kiss ultimately led to their breakup.

Tino spoke about the moment of infidelity on the “Rose Pricks: A Bachelor Roast” podcast on Monday, April 10.

Here’s what you need to know:

Tino Says He Doesn’t Regret Telling the Truth

Tino joined hosts Stefanie Wilder Taylor and Cecily Knobler earlier this month to discuss his dramatic ending on “The Bachelorette.” The 29-year-old reflected on the kiss that led to his breakup and cleared the air about his motives for coming clean to Rachel.

“My personal opinion about it is…did I feel like the crime fit the punishment?” he said, referring to the backlash from Bachelor Nation after the “After the Final Rose” special. “I mean, at that point, we were like a month or more broken up.”

Tino went on to dismiss claims that he told Rachel about the kiss because he was nervous the woman in question was going to come forward about their kiss.

“I didn’t get caught doing this. I told the truth,” he said. “I felt really guilty because [the situation] turned around with [Rachel and I] really well and she was putting in a lot of effort…and I just started really feeling guilty.”

On the podcast, Tino said that despite the backlash he received following the show, he does not regret his decision to be honest with his former fiance.

“I still don’t regret telling the truth,” he said. “I’m glad I did it when I did it. Do I wish it could’ve been handled in private? Absolutely. But it was handled the way it was and I think it all played out for the best.”

Tino Says He Regretted Going on the Show

During the April 10 episode, Tino shared that he is now in a good place following “The Bachelorette” drama.

“I never really think about it or the show anymore,” he said. “The dating situation I’m in right now is so amazing that there [is] just kind of not a lot to complain about.”

Tino seems to be in a good place now but he shared on the podcast that he struggled with a “moral conundrum” after the show.

“I think therapy was my biggest expense last year,” he told Stefanie and Cecily.

The reality star says it was hard for him to grapple with the backlash because he believed he did the right thing coming forward about the cheating.

“For a while, I was like [going on the show] was the biggest regret of my life,” he admitted.

Tino Says He Is ‘Haunted Daily’ After ‘The Bachelorette’ Drama

The April 10 episode of “Rose Pricks: A Bachelor Roast” podcast is not the first time Tino has opened up about the ending of his relationship with Rachel.

The surfer appeared on the October 20 episode of former Bachelor Nick Viall’s podcast “The Viall Files,” where he expressed regret for kissing another woman.

“I do not stand by what I did at all,” he said on the podcast. “It was not cool. It wasn’t fair to Rachel. And it haunts me daily.”

He added, “I’m trying to go through and unfold and figure out why my insecurities, my ego could just take over my actions like that and just led me down this path to go to rock bottom.”