Matt James decided to take a trip to get over his split from Rachael Kirkconnell, and it involved a one-way ticket to Kenya.
On Saturday, February 8, two days after he officially returned to social media after a one-month break, James, 33, posted a video via Instagram of himself getting vaccines and cooking food. “i booked a one way ticket to Kenya, please share Africa recs 🫶🏾🇰🇪,” he captioned his post.
James followed that video with another shared via Instagram on Sunday, February 9, detailing “everything 10 dollars can buy you in Kenya.” The list included fruit, sugar cane, a knockoff Gucci bag and “2 bites off nice ladies plate.”
As Bachelor Nation waits for Rachael Kirkconnell to break her silence on her split from Matt James, a source is giving Us Weekly exclusive insight into their relationship. “The split may seem abrupt, but this has been brewing for a while. It was a long time coming,” the source says. “Matt just couldn’t commit to […]
He previously shared his adventures in Iten, Kenya, via social media on Thursday, February 6. “Morning run with friends in Kenya 🫶🏾🇰🇪,” he captioned a video at the time.
James and Kirkconnell, 28, who met on season 25 of The Bachelor in 2021, broke up in January after four years of dating. Though their relationship did not end in an engagement on the show, they chose to stay together to see if marriage was in the cards.
“Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts. Give us peace about this decision to end our relationship that transcends worldly understanding,” James wrote via Instagram at the time of their split. “Shower our friends and family with kindness and love to comfort us. And remind us that our Joy comes from you, Lord 💔.”
During the January 28 episode of the “Call Her Daddy” podcast, Kirkconnell explained her version of what went wrong in the relationship. “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. “At the end of the day, there are things that we aren’t compatible with and the whole accountability and saying sorry and all that was really the main thing.”
Rachael Kirkconnell made it clear that she and Matt James did not rekindle their romance after rumors started swirling over the weekend. Instagram gossip account Deux Moi posted an anonymous tip on Sunday, January 27, stating that Kirkconnell, 28, was spotted with James, 33, in New York City. “Just left my apartment in kips bay […]
She added, “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.”
Kirkconnell also spoke to Cosmopolitan about the split in an interview published Friday, February 7. “It’s only been a few weeks, but I’m definitely in that phase of just, like, still trying to grasp everything and figure out a new normal. It’s easier said than done,” she explained. “Some days are easier than others, but I’m feeling OK. Breakups are normal; they happen to everyone.”
She also shot down the idea of reuniting with James. “There’s just no way I’m letting myself,” Kirkconnell insisted.
