Rachael Kirkconnell is reportedly still hopeful for a reconciliation with Matt James, the man who stole her heart and the lead of Season 25 of The Bachelor.
Rachael was the woman Matt picked to continue a relationship with at the end of his season. Although they did not seal the deal with an engagement, the couple decided to continue to explore their feelings for one another after filming ended at the end of 2020.
However, Rachael’s past came back to haunt her. Racially insensitive photographs where she was dressed in old south antebellum clothing surfaced online. She attended a party while at college which was described as an “Antebellum plantation-themed ball” by fraternity Kappa Alpha.
Matt reconsidered his feelings for the young woman after learning of the photographs and they went their separate ways. Matt’s stony silence toward Rachael during The Bachelor: After the Final Rose spoke volumes.
Rachael committed herself to become more educated about her past mistakes and moving forward with a new sense of understanding about why her actions were condemned by Matt and many Bachelor fans.
Now that she has done the work, will Matt take her back?
Rachael reportedly still loves Matt
A source told Us Weekly that Rachael is still interested in pursuing a romantic relationship with her Bachelor leading man.
“Her feelings for him never went away. She still loves him,” claimed an insider.
Matt is reportedly “hesitant to take her back.”
“It seems like he just wants to be friends, but she wants to be in a serious relationship with him,” said the source.
Matt and Rachael reportedly met while both were in New York City. Rumors of a reconciliation swirled around the couple but Us reported that the stunning brunette was in the city to spend some time with friends. While she was there, she and Matt reportedly caught up with one another.
Are they back together?
“They’re not officially back together. She reached out to Matt to see if he would be open to meeting with her. They’ve been communicating this whole time and she’s been updating him on how she’s been educating herself,” the insider said.
Matt made it clear during an appearance on Good Morning America that he was not pursuing a reconciliation with Rachael.
“I know that Rachael’s a good person and everything she outlined in her apology and her statement, I’m looking forward to seeing her do because I know she’s capable of it,” he said.
“I think there’s a lot of work that needs to be done before I can think about being in a relationship with anybody. I need time to process everything that’s going on. I want to respect Rachael and what she’s gotta do as well,” Matt concluded.
The Bachelor is currently on hiatus.