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Bachelor In Paradise's Jake shares emotional explanation after the dramatic rose ceremony.

It was the Bachelor In Paradise rose ceremony moment that made the collective jaw of the Australian public drop to the ground.

No, we’re not talking about the time Blake accidentally called Laurina ‘Lenora’, a slip of the tongue from which he will surely never recover…

But instead the time Jake Ellis chose newcomer Megan Marx over the girl he’d hooked up with that one time before the show even started, Florence Moerenhout.

After ‘stringing along’ Flo for four episodes (Gosh, has it only been four already?), Jake decided he wanted to keep Megan to see how things with the favourite from The Bachelor Season Four would pan out.

But he also attempted to persuade Michael to save Flo during the rose ceremony, whispering “you have to pick Flo” and “please, please pick Flo”.

jake begs michael at bachelor in paradise rose cereomy
Pretty sure that's not how it works, Jake... Image via Channel 10.
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Naturally Flo - and viewers - weren't too happy with Jake's choice, which inevitably saw Flo leaving the island.

But now, the 31-year-old says he regrets the way he made his decision, and has shared his thoughts in an emotional Instagram post.

Watch: Jake chooses Megan over Flo during the latest drama-filled Bachelor In Paradise rose ceremony.

Video via Channel 10

"I honestly went into this experience with an open mind and the intent to truly follow my heart," the runner-up of The Bachelorette Season Two shared with his 38,000 followers.

"Just like everyone else in Paradise, I am here to find the right person for me and me only, which will include making mistakes and experiencing triumphs along the way."

He added that the situation - choosing between Megan and Flo - was one he had "never been in before" and stressed he "never intended to hurt anyone".

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"In hindsight, I could have handled it differently, but I am human after all just like you," he wrote.

"All I can say is that I did follow my heart and I made a decision in the hope to find myself closer to what I'm searching for in Paradise."

Jake hinted his 'journey' on Bachelor In Paradise would win back his fans, adding the hashtags "there is more to my journey" and "just watch" below his caption.

While Jake disabled comments on the post, his most recent photos have been flooded with messages - both good and bad - after last night's episode went to air.

We debrief on all the biggest talking points from this week's Bach in Paradise on our recap podcast. Post continues after audio.

Some commented with snake emojis and said they are no longer fans of the former favourite, while others wrote: "Don't let them bring you down, good luck with following your heart, mate."

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"I really liked him on The Bachelorette but how unbelievably disappointing that be could disrespect and humiliate a girl so much," one viewer wrote.

"Shame on you Jake. Massive disrespect from me."

bachelor in paradise florence rose ceremony
Flo was understandably not impressed with Jake's decision. Image via Channel 10.

In an interview with TV Week, Jake confessed he wised he could "go back and handle it a different way".

"I realise I made a mistake and I did all I can to learn from that and show people it was just a momentary thing," he said.

"The last thing I ever wanted to do was hurt Florence. My heart was on the line just as much as everyone else and I tried to deal with it as best I could."