Rachael Kirkconnell Says There’s ‘No Way’ She’d Take Matt James Back

Rachael Kirkconnell is closing her Matt James chapter for good.

“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,” Kirkconnell, 28, said in an interview with Cosmopolitan published on Friday, February 7. “Some days are easier than others, but I’m feeling OK. Breakups are normal; they happen to everyone.”

However, Kirkconnell confessed that her situation with James, 33, wasn’t a typical split.

“I think just the way it went down was really crazy for me to comprehend and still is. In a way, it almost makes it easier, you know?” she reflected. “I think when something crazy like that happens, it’s something that you can almost replay in your head to get over it quicker, if that makes any sense.”

When asked if Kirkconnell saw herself and James rekindling their romance she replied, “There’s just no way I’m letting myself.”

Instead, Kirkconnell is looking for her next partner “to be a simp” — which is internet slang for someone who shows excessive submission and attention toward another person, typically an object of romantic or sexual affection.

Kirkconnell and James met on season 25 of The Bachelor which aired in 2021. While James gave the social media personality his final rose, they parted ways after filming. However, the twosome reconnected one month after the show’s After the Final Rose special aired. Last month, James announced via social media that he and Kirkconnell had called it quits after four years of dating.

“Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts,” James wrote via Instagram alongside a snap of himself and Kirkconnell when they met on The Bachelor. “Give us peace about this decision to end our relationship that transcends worldly understanding. Shower our friends and family with kindness and love to comfort us. And remind us that our Joy comes from you, Lord 💔.”

After their breakup made headlines, Kirkconnell sat down with Alex Cooper on her “Call Her Daddy” podcast and opened up about what went wrong.

“He said that at the end of the day there were just qualities about me that he worries about having in a wife. 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,” she said to Cooper. “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 confessed to Cosmo that she was “nervous” about appearing on the podcast to give her side of the story.

“It was such a hard thing, because I want to have respect for all parties involved, and I don’t want anyone to be hurt more than they already are through the situation,” she told the outlet. “But I did also have to speak my truth and honestly help myself get that closure.”