Bachelorette: Constantine Did Not Have ‘Feelings of Marriage’ for Ashley

Things were moving slow but steady between The Bachelorette‘s Ashley Hebert and Constantine Tzortzis. After hitting a high note on their hometown date in Atlanta, they frolicked in Fiji but when the fantasy suite key came out, the 30-year-old restaurant owner called it quits.

PEOPLE.com spoke with him exclusively at the recent Men Tell All taping about his sudden exit, his current romantic status, and who has his vote to be the next Bachelor.

It was shocking to see one of the final three contenders walk away. What went wrong?
You can’t really put your finger on one thing. You either have a feeling or you don’t. I knew that the next step was a serious one. My feelings were not strong enough at that point to justify sticking around and possibly going through with that next step of getting engaged.

Were you falling for her at all?
Of course I had feelings for her, but they weren’t feelings of marriage. I think she felt the same way.

Did you make the right decision or do you have regrets now?
You make the best decision you can in the moment with the information you have. I didn’t feel it was the right thing to do to stick around if I had doubts. It wouldn’t be fair to her. I don’t regret it and she has obviously found happiness with J.P. or Ben so she probably doesn’t either.

Your hometown date went so well and your family genuinely seemed to like her. How did your parents handle the breakup?
My parents backed me 100 percent. I had their blessings before I left to go and see if I could find love and to do whatever felt right for me. They stand behind the decision I made. My parents did like her and I thought that date went well. But that is not enough of a reason to marry someone. When I got back, we discussed the decision to leave and told them how I came to it and they felt I did the right thing.

Had this been a normal-paced, non-televised dating situation, could you have gotten there with Ashley?
It’s interesting because I have since met somebody and I knew there was something special about her in the first five or 10 days of meeting her. I knew that I threw out all the hesitations that I had experienced with Ashley. It is because she is the right person. So I don’t think [Ashley and I] not working out had to do with the accelerated process. It just has to do with whether two people are connecting on a real level. Had I connected with Ashley on that level it, would have been a totally different storyline. It just didn’t happen that way.

Does that mean you aren’t single now?
Not in my heart, no.

So you wouldn’t consider becoming the next Bachelor?
I thought about it but I don’t think it’s for me, to be honest. It’s a big microscope to put yourself under. Even if I hadn’t met the person that I’m thinking about now, it wouldn’t be for me. I think I was meant to do this part and that’s it. My life continues in another direction. Not that I don’t respect the process of the show. There are a couple of guys left who would do a lot better job than me.

Like who?
I want Ames. He’s a Renaissance man all day. He’s good-looking, smart, successful, charming, romantic, well-traveled. It’s got to be him. There is no other choice for me.