Nayte Olukoya denies cheating on 'Bachelorette' Michelle Young

By GMA Team

Nayte Olukoya is speaking out about what led to his split from "Bachelorette" star Michelle Young.

The former couple, who met on season 18 of "The Bachelorette," announced their split earlier this month, ending their engagement after less than a year.

Olukoya took to Instagram over the weekend to set the record straight on "a few things."

"1. No, I didn't cheat. 2. Not every breakup needs to have someone to blame," he wrote.

He then addressed the misconceptions he feels many people have of him. "Yes, many of you seem to paint me as a red flag/ f--- boy. Maybe it's the piercings and tattoos? Who knows," he wrote. "But I'm actually a decent guy, and I only want to continue getting better. As we should all want for ourselves."

Olukoya said the "negativity and blatant hate" have taken a toll on him before describing his time with Young and their relationship.

"Yes, I went on the show with no expectations. Just an open mind and an open heart (shoutout Michelle for opening it a little more). But I figured if I find my person, then thank god I went," he stated, adding, "Yes, I truly believed Michelle was my person."

He also addressed their former plans to settle in Minnesota together, where Young is from. That was originally the plan, he wrote, but things changed because they decided "there was no need to rush anything" and he said they wanted to "get to know each other on a deeper level before taking the leap of living together."

"We believed that since the love was there, everything would fall into place naturally and in its own time, the way it's meant to be," he continued.

Olukoya also stated that they are both "social people" who love to hang out with their friends. "Not everyone who goes to bars are cheaters," he wrote.

He ended his note by shedding some light on factors that contributed to their split. "Yes, the pressures were insane for both of us," he wrote. "We tried. It didn't work. We're sad about it. We all grieve differently." He also thanked fans who have been kind to them following their split.