It’s over between The Bachelor‘s Matt James and his final rose recipient, Rachael Kirkconnell. After four years of dating, the couple has called it quits. James announced the news via Instagram by sharing a throwback photo of the pair during their time on the ABC series.
“Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts,” James wrote on Thursday, Jan. 16. “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.”
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Kirkconnell has yet to comment on the split. However, as eagle-eyed fans have pointed out, she’s still letting her feelings be known. On her latest Instagram post, which was a birthday tribute to James posted in December, the former Bachelor contestant has liked several comments about the breakup. One of those comments read, “The more I’m thinking about it the more I think he completely blindsided her with this. Give her some grace and let her respond in her own time.”
This aligns with a report from The Sun, with a source telling the outlet that Kirkconnell was “blindsided” by James’ post. They claimed, “Everyone is confused and still trying to get to the bottom of what happened but first and foremost, they’re supporting Rachael and making sure she’s okay. They didn’t know they were fully broken up. Rachael is being pretty quiet right now but I know she was blindsided by Matt’s post.”
The insider went on to claim that the post left Kirkconnell “humiliated.” But, they also added that she was “the one who pulled the plug, full stop” and that James “knows what he did.” They didn’t offer any further insight into what that may have been, but noted that it’s Kirkconnell’s story to share.
