'Bachelor' Stars Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell Announce Suprise Breakup

One of Bachelor Nation's most beloved couples, Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell, shocked the fandom on Thursday by announcing their breakup. The food blogger and social media star took to Instagram to share the news of their split with a photo from their time on the show. Kirkconnell was a contestant on James's 2021 season and ultimately won, though the two did not get engaged during the finale.

"Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts," he wrote alongside the image that showed the two holding hands. "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 💔," he finished off the emotional statement. James tagged Kirkconnell. However, he turned off comments on the post.

The breakup news comes just hours after James shared a video of the duo, who have become known for their viral food reviews, eating pizza together during a trip to London. Many fans flooded the comments section to express their confusion about the sudden split.

"Hi. Were you hacked,??" NFL Agent Nicole Lynn wrote. Another follower said, "With all due respect, the math ain’t mathing on this one, Matt…have you been hacked?" A third also commented, "So you are eating 36” total pizza together, and 12 hours later, you are doing a breakup press release?"

Kirkconnell has yet to comment on the breakup, though her last post on Instagram is a birthday tribute to James from December. "happiest of birthdays to my best friend, my teammate, my sous chef, the man that has my whole heart," she wrote at the time. "You fill it (and my tummy) with so much love and laughter, and I’m so thankful I get to dance through this life with you."

The two met during James's ABC show season and did not get engaged; rather, they decided to date at the end of the show. Following the premiere, Kirkconnell received backlash for resurfaced photos from an Antebellum-themed sorority party she attended in college. And while the two briefly broke up after the controversy, they reunited months later and went on to date for four years.

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