Former “Bachelor” lead Matt James and his longtime girlfriend, Rachael Kirkconnell, have split. James shared the news with followers on Instagram on January 16.
“Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts. Give us a peace about this decision to end our relationship that transcends worldly understanding. Shower our friends and family with kindness and love to comfort us. And remind us that our Joy comes from you, Lord,” he captioned a post, adding a broken heart emoji.
James limited the comments on the post.
He and Kirkconnell met on his season of “The Bachelor.” Although the two didn’t get engaged on the finale, they continued talking after the show and decided to give their relationship a try. They’ve been together since 2020.
Many Fans Are Saddened by the News That Matt James & Rachael Kirkconnell Have Broken Up
Just after James shared the news on Instagram, hundreds of fans flocked to Reddit to react.
“I refuse to believe this,” one person wrote.
“Damn, I thought they were gonna make it. Based on their personalities, I figure Rachael was ready to settle down and Matt wasn’t. Matt seems like the type that might want to stay single all his life, figure there’s more out there,” someone else said.
“I literally gasped, I thought at first he was announcing something had happened to her!! Like she died,” a third comment read.
“I don’t get it. They seem great together. A few months ago he posted a pic of them in formal wear and everyone was saying get engaged put a ring on it and he kept responding stuff like that’s the plan!!” a fourth Redditor added.
Matt James Previously Talked About Proposing to Rachael Kirkconnell
It seems the news came as a shock to many fans because James previously talked about getting engaged to Kirkconnell.
“We’re doing great. I feel like when you feel pressure, it’s when you don’t wanna do something. So I’ve never really felt pressure [to get engaged] because it’s something that I’ve always wanted to do. And it’s something that we’re gonna do at some point. That’s why we’re together and what we’re working toward,” James told Us Weekly in June 2024. He also said that he was “excited” about the future.
More recently, James had similar feelings about sealing the deal with Kirkconnell.
“I think that’s the next step,” James said on an October 2024 episode of the “De-Influenced with Dani + Jordan” podcast.
Kirkconnell was hoping for the same.
“I have the finger ready” she joked during the podcast interview. “I feel that’s definitely something we want. I’m on his time. My problem is I definitely need to go find a ring I like and everything, but that’s on him at that point. … That’s a problem, I don’t even know what I want,” she added.
