Colton Underwoodis defending hisvirginity.

“For me, I think there’s only about six or seven people in my life that really knew 100 percent that I was a virgin before I went on that,” he told Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti for an episode of theirBen and Ashley: Almost Famouspodcast.

He further explained of his virginity in a PEOPLE exclusive clip of the podcast, “Honestly, my dad didn’t know, I think my mom had a good idea. I hinted. I’m very open with my mom … it sounds weird, but me and my mom have this weird relationship where we’re more friends than we are like mother-son. So I think she had a better idea, but that’s not something you talk to your parents about. I mean, obviously they knew in high school and in college that I didn’t go out very often and they knew that I never really brought a girl home. So they had an idea, but they didn’t know it for certain. It’s difficult going from six people knowing to about 6 million and they all have something to say about it whether it’s good or bad.”

Underwood, 26, also addressed how his fellowBachelorettecontestants responded to his reveal, when they called his virginity both a “roadblock” and reason to stop a romantic relationship from further developing.

“For the guys who said that, that was the hardest part of watching it back because when I hear that, that’s what I’ve heard my whole life, so I start to believe that. So when I hear it’s a roadblock, when people say that, I start to believe that more. So for me to hear people say, ‘Hey, it’s a skeleton in your closet’, it’s like, well, why’s that a skeleton?” he said. “Why isn’t that just part of who I am and what makes me me? Why does that have to be portrayed as a bad thing? So that was hard for me to hear.”

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Kufrin’s decision to eliminate Underwood followed her time in his hometown of Parker, Colorado, where his dad inquired about theTia Booth situation.

As previously revealed, Colton had ashort-lived relationshipin January with Booth, who competed onThe Bacheloralongside Kufrin. Though Kufrinwasn’t quite sure how to take the newsat first — especially considering the fact that she and Booth are actually good friends — Booth made an appearance on a recent episode and gave Kufrin her blessing to keep dating Underwood.

Ultimately, Kufrin gave roses to Blake Horstmann, Jason Tartick and Garrett Yrigoyen and a “shocked” Underwood was sent home.

“I don’t know if we can completely say my future with Becca was ended 100 percent on Tia,” he told Higgins and Iaconetti. “I’m sure that that was a heavy portion of why my future with Becca was ended, so yeah, of course I was sad. I was disappointed, I was frustrated, I was pissed off. I had every emotion going through me at that time and I didn’t know how to process it. I mean, I think — you guys watched the breakup — I was speechless.”

Added Underwood, “I had nothing to say because I was so caught off guard and I even had the conversation with Chris Harrison saying, ‘Hey, what’s going down in the Fantasy Suite because I can’t wait to have this conversation, this alone time, with Becca.’ I was already thinking next week.”

The Bacheloretteairs Mondays (8 p.m. ET) on ABC.

source: people.com