Rachael Kirkconnell isn’t putting any pressure on a new relationship following her split from Matt James.
“I’m scared for the future sometimes. Sometimes I feel pretty hopeless. I don’t know if my person’s out there. I don’t know what any of that looks like. But I also am really enjoying my independence,” Kirkconnell, 28, shared during the Monday, August 4, episode of Jason Tartick’s “Trading Secrets” podcast. “I am such a lover girl and I’m such a relationship person and I do want that, but I’m not going to settle anymore. I would rather be alone than be in something unhealthy or something I know is not right at the end of the day.”
She added, “I would rather be alone without kids — as much as I do want a family and everything — I will live my life alone without kids if I don’t find someone who is like the perfect person for me.”
Kirkconnell said that when it comes to her life — both romantic and otherwise — she’s “going with the flow” at the moment.
“It doesn’t look like how I thought it would, but I’m loving it,” she added. “It’s been fun.”
Kirkconnell made headlines in January when James, 33, announced via Instagram that they split. She was quick to tell her side of the story during an appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast that same month, revealing that James shared the split news publicly only three hours after he broke up with her in Tokyo.
Matt James. Michael Loccisano/Getty Images
“I just wanted my truth out there and I just felt like I owed it to those who followed along and cared about us,” Kirkconnell said of the interview, which has since racked up more than three million views on YouTube. “I just wanted to get the truth out there, and my piece, because I think a lot of people had a lot of questions.”
Rachael Kirkconnell claimed Matt James did not tell her he was planning to announce their breakup via social media. Kirkconnell, 28, said during her Tuesday, January 28, appearance on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast hosted by Alex Cooper, that James, 33, blindsided her by announcing their breakup via Instagram on January 16. “He didn’t even […]
Kirkconnell and James met on season 25 of The Bachelor, which aired in 2021. After a brief break, they dated for four years before he pulled the plug. Kirkconnell made it clear that she doesn’t “regret” sitting down for the “Call Her Daddy” interview so soon after her and James’ split.
“I think I was surprised by the reaction and everything. I think that I feel very differently now. It was so fresh,” she explained. “We recorded that the same week everything was happening. So, I feel very differently now.”
She added, “It’s hard watching that back — not that I’ve, like, sat through and watched it back again, but just seeing clips. I mean I looked horrible, and I felt horrible and, obviously, I’m in a much better place now.”
