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Matt James Makes His Return to Instagram After Ex Rachael Kirkconnell’s ‘Call Her Daddy’ Interview
Matt James made his return to Instagram a little over a week after ex-girlfriend Rachael Kirkconnell opened up about their sudden split during an appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast.
The former Bachelor star, 33, shared a video of himself taking time out of his day to get some exercise during a recent trip to Africa.
“Morning run with friends in Kenya,” Matt wrote alongside the clip he shared to Instagram on Thursday, February 6.
Rachael, 28, and Matt met during his season of The Bachelor in 2021, and while he didn’t officially pop the question in the final episode, the two still left as a couple. It wasn’t long before their relationship hit some bumps in the road when Rachael found herself at the center of a racism scandal. Photos of her attending a plantation-themed party and of her dressed up as a Native American resurfaced and fans were outraged. The incident put their relationship under stress and by the time the After the Final Rose episode aired, Matt and Rachael had broken up.
Their breakup didn’t last long, though, and they reunited just a few months later and had been going strong ever since. However, Matt shocked fans when he announced on January 16 that he and Rachael had split after four years together.
“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,” Matt wrote alongside a photo of himself and Rachael on the set of The Bachelor. “Shower our friends and family with kindness and love to comfort us. And remind us that our Joy comes from you, Lord.”
The following day, a source exclusively revealed to Life & Style that the Georgia native was completely blindsided by Matt’s decision to end their relationship.
“From the moment they started their romance, Matt and Rachael have always had a questionable relationship,” the insider explained. “Now that they’ve broken up for the second time, everyone wants to know one thing: ‘Was Rachael blindsided?’”
The source continued, “Short answer is yes, but her friends say she should have seen this coming. There were many red flags. The biggest being that he’s had commitment issues from day one.”
Rachael broke her silence regarding their breakup when she sat down for an interview with Alex Cooper on her podcast, “Call Her Daddy,” on January 28 and said that Matt was “adamant that [she] had a hard time admitting [she] was wrong or taking accountability” in their relationship.
She added that their split happened while they were traveling in Tokyo. The former reality star admitted that they had gotten into a couple of small arguments, but they weren’t anything that gave her the idea he was about to end things.
“We skipped lunch [and] we went back to the hotel and just ended up having a bigger conversation,” Rachael explained to Alex, 30. “He really just kind of let out everything that, I guess, he had been feeling for a while. He said that at the end of the day there were just qualities about me that he worries about having in a wife and there are things that we aren’t compatible with and, like, the whole accountability and saying sorry and all that.”
Rachael added that Matt had a “realization” that he should have “wanted to propose” but “couldn’t see himself” asking her to marry him.
“He said that maybe one day he would get there,” the graphic designer added. “But he doesn’t feel ready now.”
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