Stu Laundy says he found out his relationship with Sophie Monk was over via Instagram.

On Friday we learned the news that we were all sort of expecting, but it broke our reality TV loving hearts all the same: Sophie Monk and Stu Laundy had gone their separate ways after meeting on last year’s season of The Bachelorette.

Despite the very curious timing of their breakup, Sophie’s heartbreaking Instagram post had many fans wishing post the 38-year-old and her 44-year-old former beau, Stu Laundy, all the best in their future quests for “the one”.

But Monday morning has brought with it a whole new level of drama, with Stu telling Nova’s Fitzy and Wippa that he found out about his split from Sophie at the exact same time as the rest of us, while scrolling through his Instagram.

“I found out via Instagram,” he told the radio hosting duo, but added that the pair “both knew in their hearts” that the relationship had come to an end.

“We had discussed pushing more towards a friendship. I think we’re just better suited as mates. It was a decision we’d both been coming to.”

He also revealed that after a whirlwind Christmas and New Year holiday in Canada together, it had actually been "a few weeks" since the duo had even seen each other.

"I was [in Canada] for almost three weeks with Soph, we had a fantastic time," he said.

"But then I get my children in the school holidays and I had another couple of weeks with the kids back in Australia, so I haven't seen Soph in a while."

Despite the way he found out that his romance had come to an end, he said he has "no hard feelings whatsoever" towards the singer, actress and presenter.

A post shared by Sophie Monk (@sophiemonk) on Jan 25, 2018 at 8:13am PST

"There was definitely love there, there still is," he said.

"We're the best of friends, I think we will be for a long time. She's the funniest girl I've ever met in my life."

Addressing rumours that the pair had simply called it quits after their 'contract dating period' had expired, Stu called their romance "very real".

"As soon as the show finished on air... we were living together," he said.

"We had three or four months of whirlwind romance, I think you'd call it, but it was very real, very real."

LISTEN: Do we have the right to speculate about Sophie Monk and Stu Laundy's relationship, or are they entitled to their privacy?

While you'd think Stu would be more upset about finding out he was newly single at the same time as hundreds of thousands of others, the publican and father of four has been most upset about rumours he and Sophie split due to her "party girl ways".

"There was a thing over the weekend about Sophie being a party girl. She is not a party girl, absolutely not," he said in her defence.

"It's a complete load of crap. If anything, I go harder than Soph.

"But that attention did create some stress. We certainly had a few little tiffs about what was said [in the media], a lot of it is hurtful."

He also denied that his vasectomy had anything to do with the breakup, after Sophie specially mentioned wanting to settle down and have a family in her Instagram post.

"I'd always consider reversing [my vasectomy], I love kids, I'd have plenty more and I said that on the show," he said.

"But everyone knows Soph and her career... she's a very busy girl and in the next 12 months that's only going to be even more hectic for her."

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