A police officer who went viral last year for proposing to his boyfriend while on duty at London's Pride parade is now saying he regrets his decision to publicly pop the question.

In a piece he wrote this week for The Guardian, Phil Adlem reports that he received a lot of support when the video of the proposal was first being shared, but that it quickly turned to messages of hate and abuse.

"My smile did not last long as I continued reading," Adlem wrote about the comments regarding the video. "'Both should be hanged 'til death,' 'Absolutely disgusting' and 'Don’t blame ISIS if they strike them!' There were countless more, some with threats."

"A further hostile reaction at work from one of my colleagues and another from an old college friend was enough for me to wish I had never done it," he added. "I had requests for interviews, but I rejected all of them. In hindsight, I was letting other people’s opinions dictate my actions."

Despite the bullying from online trolls, Adlem is grateful to be living in a time where he can serve on the police force as an openly gay man, and he sees the negative reaction to his engagement as a reminder of how important Pride still is.

"Pride is an invaluable source of positivity and strength for anyone who has experienced abuse or bullying," he wrote. "For every person who wants to attend Pride, there is a reason why it is still important."