Bachelor’s Matt James Announces Split From Girlfriend Rachael Kirkconnell After 4 Years Together

Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell have called it quits on their relationship after four years together. The Bachelor star announced their split in a post shared on his Instagram account on Thursday, January 16.

“Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts,” he captioned a photo from when the pair met on The Bachelor. “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.”

Rachael, 28, for her part, did not immediately address the news on her Instagram account. However, fans flocked to her most recent Instagram post, which was shared on December 5, 2024, to leave comments about their breakup.

Her most recent post on Instagram happened to be a birthday shout-out to Matt, 33. The reality TV alum wrote, “Happiest of birthdays to my best friend, my teammate, my sous chef, the man that has my whole heart. you fill it (and my tummy) with so much love and laughter and i’m so thankful i get to dance through this life with you. thank you for your never ending love and support and smooches and snuggles. to many more adventures, happy birthday my pumpkin.”

“HERE AFTER THE NEWS,” one person commented on the post with a crying emoji, while another said, “Yall better be playing a prank bc I can’t handle yall breaking up.”

“Are you guys seriously calling it off ?” a fourth comment said, as another said, “I’m so sorry. Was really rooting for you both since the show.”

The split was particularly shocking for those who follow the former couple on TikTok, as Matt posted a video with Rachael after traveling to London just hours before the split announcement was made. In the video, the pair indulged in some pizzas at a restaurant during their travels.

“I came for the first time solo last year and had to bring Rachael back for her to experience some of the best pizza I’ve ever eaten,” he said in the clip.

Fans flooded the comments section with questions about their split, with one person writing, “WHY AM I SEEING THIS AFTER YOUR INSTAGRAM POST?! SAY IT AINT SO.”

Another TikTok user said, “YOUR INSTA POST? START EXPLAINING MISTER.”

“MATT I AM CONFUSED PLS EXPLAIN,” another person wrote.

Matt has often shared videos from his travels on TikTok after returning home, which could likely be the case here. We don’t know exactly when the video was filmed.

Matt and Rachael met when he led season 25 of The Bachelor in 2021. Controversy surrounded their relationship after photos of her attending an Antebellum-themed college party surfaced on social media. They did not get engaged during the final rose ceremony but continued dating after the show before briefly breaking up.

They confirmed they were back together in May 2021. They spoke out one year later about how they were able to mend things.

“It was crazy,” he told People in May 2022 of their relationship. “It felt like the world was against us. Some people felt like the situation was blown out of proportion and others felt like it hadn’t gotten enough attention. We were just trying to enjoy each other and grow our relationship without having to deal with people we didn’t even know weighing in.”