'Bachelorette' runner-up Peter Kraus calls his TV experience 'very special'

— -- The same day Arie Luyendyk Jr. was announced as the new Bachelor, "Bachelorette" runner-up Peter Kraus released a statement thanking ABC for his time on reality TV.

After his dramatic breakup with Rachel Lindsay on "The Bachelorette," fans questioned whether Kraus would be tapped to helm "The Bachelor."

ABC has not confirmed whether Kraus was offered the opportunity, but in his statement, Kraus wrote that "the most incredible journey... has now officially come to an end today," and added that the network "saw something in me, but something held me back."

"[ABC] treated me with such love and kindness and showed me glimpses of a life I never once dreamed that I could have," he wrote on Instagram. "I will be forever humbled and grateful and will always look back at these last 6 months with an ear to ear smile, knowing that this has truly been a very special life indeed."

Kraus and Lindsay shared a connection during the production of "The Bachelorette," but after a dramatic conversation about Kraus' reluctance to propose, they broke up in the season 13 finale. Lindsay later accepted an engagement ring from Bryan Abasolo, and said that she and Kraus had "deep-rooted issues."

"I mean, I've been very open that I want someone who knows who he is, knows what he wants and where he's going. And the more I peeled back the layers with Peter, I realized that he wasn't that person," she told reporters last month. "I think the proposal became such a focal point because that's what happens at the end of the show, but that was not the reason that I didn't -- or I decided not to -- choose Peter."

In his statement Thursday, Kraus expressed regret about not being more open with Lindsay during their time on the show and thanked her for giving him "a chance." He also shared that he learned "one of the single greatest teachings of my life" on "The Bachelorette."

"When you let uncertainty or fear guide your decisions, you risk missing out on what could potentially be the greatest opportunity of a life time," he wrote. "So live dangerously, live without the fear of the unknown, and continue to live and love with a heart that is truly open to anything. #thankyou #lovealways"

ABC had no comment on Kraus' statement.