The Bachelor couple Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell have addressed breakup rumors and the current status of their relationship.

ADVERTISEMENT


Although Bachelor Nation recently worried Matt and Rachael had called it quits on their relationship, Rachael confirmed they're still going strong as they're approaching three years together.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)

"I think that we've been through so much stuff at this point that nothing really phases us," Rachael told Us Weekly in a joint interview with The Bachelor's Season 25 star on Tuesday, July 18.

"I get it because we're together so much, so whenever our schedules don't line up or whenever we have our own things going on, I get where people come from."

ADVERTISEMENT


Rachael, however, suggested that she's not really bothered by split rumors, even though they seem to swirl every few months or so.

"I do think a lot of it came from a place of love, like, people were worried because they like us so much as a couple. So in a way, it was a little flattering," The Bachelor 25 winner said.

"But also, at the end of the day, we're normal people [in a] normal relationship. It's kind of crazy sometimes when you see, you know, just how invested people are. In such a quick way, too."

Rachael joked about how she sometimes needs to tell fans to "relax."

"[I'm] like, 'It's been a week! I haven't posted [on social media] in, like, eight days, relax!'" Rachael noted.


ADVERTISEMENT


Matt admitted that even his mother, Patty, occasionally feeds into the hype and expresses concern about his relationship.

"I'll come home and if Rachael's not with me, my mom's like, 'What's wrong? Where's Rachael?'" Matt told the magazine.

"I'm like, 'She had to go home to see her family!' She has her mom and her dad and brother and sister [in Atlanta]."

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)  

Rachael, however, pointed out how Patty's concern is sweet and flattering.

ADVERTISEMENT


"I do love [Patty]. I only think your mom is like that because we have so much fun when we're together," Rachael gushed, adding, "Matt really is just my best friend."

Rachael and Matt are pretty much tied at the hip. They enjoy trying new restaurants together and traveling, including recent trips to Greece and Saint John.

"I think at the end of the day, it's just really fun to live the life that we live together," The Bachelor 25 winner said.

"I don't think anything that we do would be nearly as fun if I weren't with him. I love our dynamic, I think that we make each other better people."

Rachael shared how she and Matt "bring out the better version of ourselves" with each other.


ADVERTISEMENT


"I think we have a lot to teach each other," Rachael said.

And Matt agreed that he's "dating my best friend," which makes "everything that much better."

"You get to enjoy life with that person. It's a great come true. We're always telling ourselves how blessed we are," Matt explained.

The Bachelor couple teased in June that they're moving from New York City to Los Angeles, CA.

Matt and Rachael fell in love on The Bachelor's 25th season in early 2021.


Matt selected Rachael as his winner on The Bachelor, but they briefly split in February 2021 during Rachael's memorable racism controversy, which resulted in former The Bachelor host Chris Harrison and ABC agreeing to part ways.

But Rachael was extremely apologetic, and so she and Matt reconciled in April 2021 and have seemingly been inseparable ever since. However, fans are still waiting for them to get engaged.

Rachael told Us in June 2022, "The only timeline I give him is I was like, 'I gotta have kids before, you know, I can't have kids.' So keep that in mind."

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' COUPLES NOW: WHO DID 'THE BACHELOR' STARS AND THEIR BACHELORETTE PICKS ACTUALLY END UP MARRYING? (PHOTOS)

Rachael said she and Matt weren't concerned with others' expectations for their relationship and future together.

"I feel like it's pretty crucial to just have fun with one another no matter where we're at or what we're doing," Rachael shared. "We got to make the most of everything."


ADVERTISEMENT


And Matt told the Los Angeles Times that same month, "We're one of the only couples from that franchise still going strong. The reason is we're going at things at our own pace. We're not playing games that a lot of people play just to stay in that circle."

Matt said on a May 2022 episode of Watch What Happens Live that he had a feeling Rachael was The One for him when they met on the very first night of filming The Bachelor in late 2020.

"When I met everybody that first night, [our] interaction was the most genuine," Matt said, according to People. "I was looking for that genuine connection and just realness and she exuded it. And there it is."

Matt also reportedly wrote in his book, First Impressions: Off Screen Conversations with a Bachelor on Race, Family, and Forgiveness, that he wanted to spend all of his time with Rachael while taping the show.

"In the beginning, she cut through the polished front I'd honed and into my nerdy side," Matt wrote of Rachael.

"We debated who was the bigger fan of How to Train Your Dragon and Marvel movies. I observed her empathy from afar, noticed how her kindness extended beyond our time alone and to everyone else she encountered."


Due to Rachael and Matt's tight bond, Rachael and Matt's best friend, The Bachelorette 15 alum Tyler Cameron, have confessed to having a love-hate relationship.

Tyler and Rachael explained the cause of their feud on Tyler's "Everybody But Me" radio show back in January.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)

Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group.














About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.