Rachael Kirkconnell sets boundaries with ex Matt James after shocking breakup

Rachael Kirkconnell is making it clear that she needs space from Matt James. The Bachelor alum, 28, opened up about their unexpected breakup during a revealing conversation with Alex Cooper on the Call Her Daddy podcast, published on Wednesday, January 29.
Kirkconnell shared that although she and James, 33, have remained in contact since their split less than two weeks ago, she has now told him to stop checking in on her. Reflecting on their split, Kirkconnell recalled how a small fight during their Tokyo trip spiraled into a breakup, leaving her stunned. Shortly after returning home, she woke up to a missed call from James at 1 a.m. and decided to call him back out of curiosity.
“So I called him back just to see what he wanted, and he just asked how I was doing, which I’m like, ‘How do you think I’m doing? Like, what?’” she said. During that conversation, Kirkconnell also confronted James about his cryptic Instagram breakup announcement, which he posted just hours after they ended things.
“I said, like, you know, that really sucked. And that’s when he was like, ‘Yeah. I fully admit that I could have handled this a lot better,’ and he apologized,” she revealed. Although James took accountability for the post and admitted he regretted how he handled things, Kirkconnell found it strange how natural their conversation felt despite the heartbreak.
“We were just talking like everything was okay,” she noted. She admitted that while they haven’t spoken much since the breakup, James has been calling every few days to check on her—something she eventually told him to stop doing.
“He’s called me every, like, few days just to make sure I’m okay, but I told him that he didn’t need to do that,” she explained. “I was like, ‘You don’t need to call and check up on me. Like, I’ll be okay.’ And so that was that.” Though she isn’t sure if James has been reaching out out of guilt or concern, she is now focused on moving forward and creating space between them.
While heartbreak is never easy, Kirkconnell appears to be prioritizing her own healing and independence following their split. Her candid revelations offer insight into how she’s navigating the end of their relationship—with clarity, strength, and the firm belief that she will be just fine without check-ins from James.