The Bachelor star Clayton Echard has apologized to Elizabeth Corrigan for denying her a rose after drama with Shanae Ankney, adding that he should have sent Shanae home immediately.

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After apparently receiving backlash from Bachelor Nation for eliminating Elizabeth and keeping Shanae on his season, Clayton posted a public apology to Elizabeth on his social media accounts on Tuesday.

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"I'm sorry, Elizabeth, for what you're going through. I wish I could have seen what was happening when I wasn't there. I obviously knew y'all weren't in a good place with each other, but I thought at the time that it was, solely, petty drama," Clayton wrote in postings he made on both Twitter and Instagram.

"I would have sent Shanae home immediately for making fun of you for being neurodivergent, had I known."

Clayton admitted watching Season 26 back so far has brought him anxiety and feelings of guilt.

"Overall, the experience for me watching hasn't been fun, simply because I'm seeing all the damage that I caused," Clayton stated.

"I really meant well, but my actions weren't always the best as I now can see the repercussions from my decisions."

Clayton went on to promise The Bachelor fans that he's "learning" from "the mistakes."

"[I] am doing everything in my power to come out the other side a better man," Clayton concluded.

On Monday night as The Bachelor was airing its fourth episode, Clayton reminded his followers that "mental health matters" and people should keep that in mind before hitting "send," which suggests people had been sending Clayton hate and criticism for his decisions.

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Clayton also tweeted -- seemingly in response to Elizabeth and Shanae's feud on the show -- "I'm looking forward to having an open and honest discussion at [The Women Tell All] with what all happened."

"It's important to hold people accountable, including myself. #TheBachelor," he added.

Elizabeth replied to Clayton's tweet, "I'm ready."

Elizabeth was also pretty vocal during Monday night's The Bachelor episode.

"Shanae seems to like my shrimp so much... wait til she tries my tea," Elizabeth tweeted.

Elizabeth also retweeted two fiery comments. One person wrote how attacking people with "neurodevelopmental disorders" is not funny and this storyline should end before Season 8 of Bachelor in Paradise.

And another Twitter user commented how Clayton's choice to let Elizabeth go was "one of the worst moves in bachelor history," before writing, "JUSTICE FOR ELIZABETH!!!!!"

In addition, Elizabeth reposted words of support and encouragement from friends, fans and members of Bachelor Nation Monday night on her Instagram Story.

She also "agreed" with Clayton's assessment that "mental health matters," suggesting The Bachelor star shouldn't be bullied or harassed over what's shown on television.

Elizabeth wrote on her Instagram Story, "As I go to sleep tonight, a quote rings true in my head. It's simple and it's true. They've all gone to bed in the beds of their choices. - Dr. Seuss."

Elizabeth determined on Monday night, "Tonight, I go to bed proudly. Thank you. Thank you for everything."

Elizabeth also posted a funny video of Nayte Olukoya yelling "no" at Michelle Young's camera when watching Clayton send Elizabeth home. Nayte was clearly "Team Elizabeth," and Michelle appeared to feel the same way.

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Meanwhile, Shanae has offered up no apology or signs of remorse. Instead, she posted lighthearted video clips of shrimp and herself dancing in her "The Bachelor Bowl" jersey while watching Monday night's episode.

Shanae and Elizabeth's feud ran through multiple episodes of The Bachelor's 26th season.

It all began when Shanae accused Elizabeth of being "fake" and "two-faced" because Elizabeth had allegedly acted like her friend one minute only to ignore her the next.

Shanae told Clayton that she noticed a big "red flag" with Elizabeth, who then apologized to Shanae for making her feel left out. Elizabeth explained she may not have heard Shanae talking to her in a group setting because she struggles with ADHD and processing multiple auditory inputs at once.

Shanae went on to mock Elizabeth's disorder and make remarks such as "ADHD, my ass!"

Tension mounted when Shanae claimed she had cooked shrimp for the girls and no one wanted any. Shanae believed Elizabeth -- who allegedly did not acknowledge Shanae's presence while she was sitting in a hot tub -- had turned everyone against her.

Although Elizabeth attempted to bury the hatchet with Shanae multiple times and respectfully move on from the drama, Shanae proceeded to tell Clayton that Elizabeth was a "bully" and "a liar" and that she had created a toxic environment.

After Clayton confronted both women and watched them bicker over shrimp, he decided to give Shanae a rose at the third Rose Ceremony of the season and eliminate Elizabeth, who had spent most of her time with Clayton defending herself.

Elizabeth said during a Monday appearance on "Click Bait with Bachelor Nation" that Shanae began targeting her during a group date hosted by ZIWE, when Elizabeth was able to sit next to Clayton for a game of truths.

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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