I'm really having a problem with the timing of this statement. This story broke late this afternoon. Within hours, he's squealing about being the victim.
Let's say this hoax did occur. In his mind, up until now, he had a girlfriend. In his heart, he was completely convinced with this notion. This was his reality. If someone, some stranger, then told him this wasn't true, why would he automatically believe them? He automatically said "it' was a big hoax. I'm the victim".
If I was in his shoes, I would be filled with disbelief, utterly shocked. I would want to do my own investigation to convince myself of what actually happened. I would want to be 100% sure of what actually is reality before giving a public statement.
There was no notion of denial here. That would have been the more natural human reaction. Unless deep inside he already knew it wasn't true.