Rachael Kirkconnell (left) and 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 Kirkconnellis taking her recent major life change in stride.
The 28-year-old had a volatile start to 2025 as she and her boyfriend of four years, former BachelorMatt James, split following the holidays — a move that she said onCall Her Daddycame “definitely out of nowhere” following an argument during a trip to Tokyo.
Now, Kirkconnell is “still trying to grasp everything and figure out a new normal,” she toldCosmopolitan.
“I don’t know if it’s shock, but I don’t think I’ve registered it still. It’s only been a few weeks,” she said. “It’s easier said than done. Some days are easier than others, but I’m feeling okay.”
Kirkconnell said she’s been shifting her focus in the weeks since the split, which James, 33,announced on Instagram just hours after the fact, and is working on “telling myself that nothing matters as much as I think it does.”
Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James attend Sports Illustrated Club SI ahead of the F1 Grand Prix on November 17, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada.Ethan Miller - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty
Ethan Miller - Formula 1/Formula 1 via Getty
She’s also been leaning on the women in her life for support amid the breakup, and revealed that many of the girls who competed alongside her for a shot at James' heart duringseason 25 ofThe Bachelorhave been “very supportive.”
Her friends from outside Bachelor Nation have her back, too — so much so that some of them are heading to Las Vegas with her for a “last minute” Valentine’s Day trip. “It just happened to work out, and I feel like it’ll be a great distraction.”
Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James on ‘The Bachelor’.Craig Sjodin via Getty
As she’s been thrust into the public eye more than ever before, Kirkconnell is also “working a lot on my self-confidence and feeling good about myself regardless of what others say or think about me.”
“The biggest thing I’ve been doing, whether I’m rolling out of bed in the morning or getting ready, is looking in the mirror and instead of picking myself apart, telling myself, ‘You’re beautiful, you’re a rock star, and you’re gonna have a great day.'”
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She also told the outlet what she’ll be looking for in a future partner: “I honestly just want him to be a simp.”
source: people.com
