Peter Kraus Gets Candid About ‘Dark Days’ and ‘Isolation’ After ‘The Bachelorette’

Viewers were heartbroken during this season’s Bachelorette finale when Peter Kraus, reluctant to propose so quickly to Rachel Lindsey, was left alone at the end of the day.

But viewers weren’t the only ones wondering, “What happened?” Kraus told Us Weekly.

“It all just ended so fast,” he said. “It was just me, sitting there by myself in my own thoughts. That was a really dark couple of days. When you have no outlets, it’s hard to get out of your head.”

One of the hardest parts, the 31-year-old said, was keeping up the charade with those closest to him before the season finale aired.

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“Friends would ask me like, ‘C’mon, just tell me. Are you with her or not? Are you guys happy?’ and I couldn’t say anything. I wanted to say something so bad. So I really felt alone,” he confessed. “That’s when I really started to feel isolated. There was no one I could talk to. Not even my parents about it because they didn’t understand the emotions I was feeling, like, ‘Peter, you’re fine. It’s over. It’s cool. You’re good.’ I’m like, ‘No, it’s not. You don’t see the attacks on social media. You don’t see the questions I’m being asked every day. You don’t see the people coming up to me like, ‘Oh my God, you’re the guy that she’s with! Happy! You’re so great!’ and having to fake that.”

Bachelor alum Nick Viall was apparently a great source of comfort and help during these dark days, Kraus said, especially when he was approached by ABC execs about possibly signing on as the next Bachelor.

“I was so distraught at that time that it was something that I could never see myself doing,” he said.

While he did consider the benefits — possible love and new friendships — the personal trainer said the loss of control the show brings was ultimately too much for him.

The fear of a repeat non-proposal weighed on him as well.

“As far as proposal, yeah I’m worried that at the end of it I wouldn’t necessarily be able to, but it’s not that I don’t want to,” Kraus said. “This is kind of part of my thought process, if i did get to the end and I do really, truly like somebody but for some reason I can’t just say this is for sure that person, I don’t want it to be the same outcome again. People are forgiving once. I don’t know if they’re forgiving twice.”

The position ultimately went to Bachelorette season 8 alum Arie Luyendyk Jr., but Kraus said he’s not shutting the door on the franchise altogether.

“If it were to come up again,” he said, “I would definitely consider it.”