The Bachelor star Rachael Kirkconnell is finally speaking out about the real reason behind her shocking split from Matt James.
She opened up candidly in a raw and emotional interview on the Call Her Daddy podcast, which aired on Tuesday, January 28. Kirkconnell, 28, revealed the painful conversation that resulted in their breakup.
“He said that at the end of the day there were just qualities about me that he worries about having in a wife,” she shared.
According to Kirkconnell, James, 33, expressed doubts about their compatibility. He mentioned issues surrounding “accountability and saying sorry” as a major concern.
“It was just one of those things where he, I think, just had this realization that, ‘I should want to propose to you by this time. Like, at this point in our relationship, I should be wanting those things and I should be ready for that. But I’m not still, I still don’t feel like we’re ready or I don’t feel like I’m ready. I don’t know if I ever see myself proposing to you. I can’t actually see myself married to you,’”, she recalled him saying.
Kirkconnell admitted she was taken aback by his sudden epiphany, especially after spending four years together.
“I told him, I said, ‘Well, I feel like after four years you should know or you should feel ready. And if you don’t, then that’s not a good thing. We probably shouldn’t be together if you don’t feel like that after four years because you know me better than anyone. I know you better than anyone, so you should know by now if you see this for the long haul or not,’” she continued.
James was brutally honest. He told her, “You’re beautiful, smart and funny and you’ll find, you’ll find someone, you’ll find a guy that will love you for you. He just didn’t think that it was him.”
She admitted the words were hard to hear, especially since just days before, James had been saying the complete opposite.
View this post on Instagram
Before her podcast interview aired, Kirkconnell was stopped at an airport where she briefly commented on the split in a video posted via Instagram gossip account Deux Moi.
“It’s nothing that you can prepare for. So, you just take it one day at a time,” she said. “I think things will start to come out.”
At the time, she hinted that she would share her side of the story “whenever I’m ready”—which turned out to be her sit-down with Call Her Daddy host Alex Cooper.
She also shut down speculation that cheating played a role in their split. She also made it clear there was “no chance for a reconciliation in the future.”
Just hours after breaking things off with Kirkconnell, James posted a heartfelt announcement on social media, blindsiding the Bachelor Nation star. The post read:
“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,” he wrote on January 16. “Shower our friends and family with kindness and love to comfort us. And remind us that our Joy comes from you, Lord.”
View this post on Instagram
James accompanied the message with a throwback photo of the couple from The Bachelor season, where their love story started. Despite James’ post painting the breakup as sudden, insiders revealed that cracks had been forming for a while.
“The split may seem abrupt, but this has been brewing for a while. It was a long time coming,” a source told US Weekly. “Matt just couldn’t commit to her.”
The insider also noted that Kirkconnell struggled to trust James throughout their relationship.
“Rachael really wanted to get married and settle down and they were not on the same page”, the source added. “She felt like she was waiting around, and he would never give her what she wanted.”
For sure, their love story once captivated Bachelor Nation, but it seems a happily ever-after was never meant to be.