Rachael Kirkconnell is sharing her side of her split from Matt James after four years together.
While appearing on the Jan. 29 episode of the Call Her Daddy podcast, Kirkconnell, who met James on season 25 of The Bachelor, said she’s “doing OK” and that “some days are better than others” after their breakup.
James shocked many fans when he announced in an Instagram post that he and Kirkconnell were no longer together.
James wrote in the caption, “Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts. Give us a 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.”
Kirkconnell said that James shared the breakup post “two or three hours after” they privately called it quits while on a trip together in Tokyo. She saw the post right before she got on a flight where she wouldn’t have service for 12 hours, leaving her “freaking out” and “in total shock.”
As for what led to the split, Kirkconnell said they were butting heads in Tokyo, which led to a serious argument about compatibility issues in their relationship and marriage.
“He said that at the end of the day there were just qualities about me that he worries about having in a wife. Like at the end of the day, like, there are things that we aren’t compatible with,” Kirkconnell said.
She added, “And yeah, 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. He said that, you know, maybe one day he would get there, but he doesn’t feel ready now.”
Kirkconnell also said she doesn’t see how she could be with James again given how he handled their split, saying she “forgive[s] him” but feels like he “disrespected” her.
Good Morning America has reached out to James for comment.
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