The Bachelorette alum Rachel Recchia has made new allegations about her breakup with ex-fiance Tino Franco and his cheating scandal.

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Rachel and Tino got engaged on The Bachelorette's Season 19 finale, but Rachel quickly called off their engagement and broke up with him once she discovered he had been unfaithful to her by kissing another woman when they were going through challenging times post-filming.

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Rachel, disappointed in Tino's explanation and arguable lack of a sincere apology, publicly announced their split on The Bachelorette: After the Final Rose in September 2022.

Rachel, who is currently appearing on Bachelor in Paradise's ninth season, opened up about the demise of her relationship with Tino during a recent episode of "The Viall Files" podcast.

Rachel told the podcast's host, former The Bachelor star Nick Viall, that Tino has seemingly put more blame onto her for their breakup in recent interviews and also acted like his betrayal was not that big of a deal.

Rachel said that in the past, Tino had come across very ashamed and sorry for his actions.

Rachel went on to allege that Tino was truly at fault for cheating because he had an "emotional connection" with the woman he kissed behind her back, which disputes Tino's original claim that the kiss was "the tiniest thing ever" and essentially meant nothing to him.

"There was so much more than just the physical kiss," Rachel claimed during her interview.

Rachel previously revealed that Tino had kissed the woman in July 2022, which led to their breakup in August of that year during a "Happy Couple" visit, which aired on The Bachelorette's Season 19 finale.

"There was this emotional relationship happening," Rachel alleged.

"And this person that it happened with was someone he was going to date after the show. So, it's just hard for me to hear him continue to say, 'Oh it was just this one drunken mistake,' because it wasn't."

Rachel claimed that Tino was actually "planning on seeing this girl" before The Bachelorette, but then ABC cast him on the series.

"He told me it didn't really go anywhere because he wanted to put his all into the show and see where it went," Rachel shared.

"But I don't think anyone goes on, like, 'You know what? I'm getting engaged, 100 percent.' He didn't know, and so he came back and she was like, 'Where is this going? Why aren't we dating?' And he was put in this awkward position of, 'I have a contract and I can't tell her this.'"

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When Tino informed Rachel post-engagement about his run-in with this woman who had been on the back burner for many months, Rachel said he recalled seeing her out one night and "flirting a little" with her.

"[He said], 'There was a little bit of texting.' And I was like, 'That's fine, flirting is innocent.' And then in the same conversation, he did tell me he cheated on me -- and I hung up," Rachel told Nick.

"So I wasn't completely understanding, but I was trying to be like, 'That's okay, he was in a tough spot.' We were fighting but we were not on a break. We were still fully engaged."

Rachel continued, "I didn't have a ring to give back to this man because [ABC temporarily takes] it away. We did talk about taking a step back because the relationship was failing."

Tino explained on "The Viall Files" podcast in October 2022 that he thought the distance and secrecy of his relationship with Rachel after filming The Bachelorette was "challenging."

Tino admitted that he found it difficult to watch Rachel's relationships with other men unfold on The Bachelorette and he became needy.

But Tino noted how Rachel's request for space shortly after their engagement led him to "feeling really insecure" and "distant." And once he sunk into "that dark place," he said he acted out with the kiss and there was no excuse for it.

"I think it was him subconsciously trying to feel better because he was a little bit jealous about what was happening onscreen," Rachel explained to Nick.

"And I completely understand that," the Season 26 The Bachelor alum added. "It's a hard thing."

Rachel explained that while she was dead set on marrying Tino, she asked him for space in order to honor her therapist's advice of trying to become friends first.

After all, The Bachelorette environment tends to be very serious and relationships move quickly.

"I asked him to take a step back, and understandably, he was very upset... I guess there's just a lot to the story," Rachel noted.

"It doesn't matter now; I really have moved forward. That's not something I want to harp on or be like, 'He was wrong for this, this and this.' I guess it's just hard to know what I know and then still have all this coming out."

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Rachel said she tried her "best" and did "everything she could" to make her relationship with Tino work.

But after Tino cheated, Rachel insisted she "wasn't in the wrong for ending it."

Tino appeared on Courtney Robertson's "After Reality" podcast in September and talked about Rachel's stint on Bachelor in Paradise.

"I'll probably watch [Paradise] because I heard rumors that [Aven Jones] and [Tyler Norris] and a couple of the guys I liked from my season went down," Tino said at the time.

He added of Rachel, "If she thinks she can find love [on TV] after everything she's been through, I mean, good for her... There's no quit in her. I'll be watching, but focusing my rooting on the boys."

Tino also downplayed his infidelity during that same podcast appearance.

"I think if I would've done it over again, before I went off and got drunk and kissed somebody else, I would've just broken it off [with Rachel] there, like, if I had a magic time machine," Tino confessed.

He elaborated of the mistake, "To a lot of people, [it was a] pretty gray area, or not even something wrong. And getting the electric chair for it on national TV, yeah, I mean, it's hard to say [that] I would've done everything [the same]. I mean, the punishment was so absurd."

Tino, however, apparently doesn't believe he and Rachel would've ended up together, even if he hadn't cheated on her. And he mentioned how he doesn't care if they ever speak again.

Tino also brought Rachel up a second time during a Saturday, September 23, interview on the "Dave Neal Show" on YouTube.

"She's perfect for somebody, it's just not me. I really think she will be an excellent partner to somebody else," Tino shared, betting Rachel will likely meet her ideal partner "in a couple of years when she's a little bit further removed from the public eye."

When asked about Tino's shady comments, Rachel vented to Nick, "I just don't understand, why am I not allowed to move on? And why am I not allowed to find love in this environment?"

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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