Matt James asks God for prayers as he announces split

On By Littum

Former “Bachelor” host 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 peace about this decision to end our relationship that passes 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 subtitle a postadding a broken heart emoji.

James limited comments on the post.

He and Kirkconnell met on his season of “The Bachelor.” Although the two did not get engaged in the finale, they continued to talk after the show and decided to give their relationship a chance. They have been together since 2020.

Many fans are saddened by the news that Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell have broken up

Right after James shared the news on Instagram, hundreds of fans flocked to Reddit to react.

“I refuse to believe this,” wrote a person.

“Damn, I thought they’d make it. Based on their personalities, I figure Rachael was ready to settle down and Matt wasn’t. Matt seems like the type who might want to stay single his whole life , reckon there’s more out there.” said another.

“I literally gasped, at first I thought he was announcing that something had happened to her!! Like she died” a third comment read.

“I don’t get it. They look amazing together. A few months ago he posted a picture of them in party clothes and everyone was saying get engaged put a ring on it and he kept replying things like if that was the plan!!” a fourth Redditor added.

Matt James has previously spoken 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 pressured, that’s when you don’t want to do anything. So I’ve never really felt pressure (to get engaged) because it’s something I’ve always wanted to do. And that’s something we’re going to 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 he was “excited” about the future.

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 hoped for the same.

“I have the finger ready” she joked during the podcast interview. “I definitely feel like that’s something we want. I’m on his time. My problem is, I definitely need to find a ring that I like and everything, but he’s on that time. … It’s a problem, I don’t even know what I want,” she added.