Rachael Kirkconnell, Matt James.Photo:Jamie McCarthy/Variety via Getty; Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Tyler Cameron
Jamie McCarthy/Variety via Getty; Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Tyler Cameron
Rachael Kirkconnellhas spoken.
Kirkconnell — who met James on his season of the ABC dating series in 2020 — said she’s “doing okay” and “hanging in there” as she boarded an escalator and approached the security line in the airport. “It’s nothing that you can prepare for, so yeah, you just take it one day at a time,” she said of navigating a breakup in the public eye.
When asked what happened that led to the split — which James, 33, announced in a cryptic Instagramposton Jan. 16 — Kirkconnell responded, “Things will start to come out and I’ll speak about it whenever I’m ready. But for now, I’m just protecting my peace.”
She did clarify, though, that there was “no” infidelity involved, but still, when asked about the potential for a reconciliation, she said, “No. Yeah, we’re out.”
Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James pose for a photo together in July 2023 in Denver, CO.Rachael Kirkconnell/ Instagram
Rachael Kirkconnell/ Instagram
In James' post, he shared a photo of his first time meeting Kirkconnell, as he wrote a prayer and asked for “strength to mend our broken hearts” after they’d made a “decision to end our relationship.”
“The more I’m thinking about it the more I think he completely blindsided her with this,” one fan wrote in a comment she liked. “Give her some grace and let her respond in her own time.”
Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James attends the Boss Spring/Summer 2023 Miami Runway Show at One Herald Plaza on March 15, 2023 in Miami, Florida.Manny Hernandez/Wireimage
Manny Hernandez/Wireimage
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Her sister also weighed in, writing onTikTokthat James and Kirkconnell were “still together” when he was posting from their London vacation just 12 hours before the breakup announcement. She also revealed thathis post came just “3 hours” after the couple had decided to go their separate ways.
source: people.com
