Why are we so furious that Richie Strahan dumped Nikki Gogan?

NIKKI Gogan has won a legion of fans in the wake of her brutal on-air dumping on The Bachelor, as she revealed how she reacted to the finale.

IN the space of 24 hours, Richie Strahan has gone from Australia’s favourite son to the nation’s most hated man.

And at the heart of that is one devastated blonde — Nikki Gogan.

The real estate agent from WA was the fan favourite during The Bachelor’s run and when Strahan dumped her on national TV audiences were outraged.

Social media figures were the highest in the series’ history as they took to Twitter and Facebook to vent their rage at Strahan’s choice of Alex Nation over Gogan.

Trending at number one on Twitter worldwide, The Bachelor Australia also increased it’s reach on Facebook by a whopping 71 per cent over the same time period in 2015.

LOVED-UP: Why Richie and Alex are not ready for marriage

MORE: Richie defends choosing Alex over Nikki

Nikki Gogan being told the bad news by Richie Strahan. Picture: Supplied

When Strahan declared he was head over heels for single mum Alex Nation, fans furiously asked how he could have continued to romance Gogan intently, even kissing her passionately in the final moments they spent together on the eve of the very public break up.

They also called for her to be cast as The Bachelorette in 2017.

“We are thrilled that Australia loved Nikki as much as we did,” said a spokesperson for the network when asked about the possibility.

“She is a gracious, kind, generous and beautiful young woman. (But) as we are just about to embark on the next season of The Bachelorette Australia it’s too soon to speculate about future Bachelorettes.”

Eliminated Bachelor contestant Nikki Gogan speaks from the heart. Picture: Brett Costello

Gogan, 28, watched the finale for the first time alone in her hotel room on Thursday night. And she admitted to being overcome as she relieved the moment Richie told her he was in love with someone else.

“I was in tears, absolutely, lots of tears” she said.

“I knew what was coming (and) it was difficult to watch. But I watched it from the beginning to the end just like I have every other episode.

I was really interested to see what my face looked like with the recognition of the moment I realised what was happening.”

Top two girls Nikki Gogan and Alex Nation have no bad blood between them. Picture: Dylan Robinson

Gogan — and fans watching at home — went into the final rose ceremony confident she would be the one to ride off into the sunset with Strahan.

But the second she joined him in the garden she knew she’d lost him forever.

“The moment I got down the stairs and was holding Richie’s hand I knew he wasn’t my Richie — he was just different,” she recalled.

“It was a different energy, he wasn’t holding my hand as tightly and his eyes were sad eyes, not the excited, happy eyes that I was used to.”

While Gogan has been deluged by support from fans of the show since Thursday night, she admitted she’s found it overwhelming at times.

“But in a way it makes me feel that I wasn’t (living) in this dream world,” she added.

“There were other people who fell in love with the Nikki and Richie story.”

Social researcher Mark McCrindle wasn’t surprised to see Australian’s become so passionate about Gogan’s on air dumping — and then turn that passion into an attack on Strahan and Nation’s fledgling romance.

While on the surface single mum Nation appeared the more obvious choice for the public to embrace, the label “stage five clinger” saw her become villain to Gogan’s girl-next-door sweetheart.

“Australians want to reward someone who they respond to and resonate with, they want to champion them and give them something positive,” McCrindle said.

“People have their perfect outcomes and how they want it to look. And if it doesn’t go that way, if there’s a sense that someone’s not making the right choices or taking advantage of someone else? There’s that protective nature Australians have where they want to get involved and say, ‘Hey, that’s not right. That’s our friend, that’s someone we’re backing.’”

Nikki Gogan and Alex Nation were the last two girls vying for Richie Strahan's final rose.

“Australians value relationships and family and romance and there’s a sense of vicarious connection that we want to see the best of in that regard.

“It’s heightened in a show like The Bachelor where you can see it unfold week by week.”

For Gogan, the connections she has made — especially to younger fans of the show — is one of the most positive things she will take away from the experience.

“I’m finding that a lot of young girls seem to be fans,” she said.

“I’ve had a lot of parents saying, ‘You’re a great role model for our kids and our daughters and that just blows my mind. It’s the ultimate compliment.”

She also hopes that — just like she has — people will find room in their hearts to wish Strahan and Nation a happy future.

“That’s important to me because I genuinely do wish them well,” she said.

“And I think once things calm down and the shock disappears everyone will be able to embrace the beautiful couple that they are.”