Rachael Kirkconnell Says 'Everything Feels Scary and Discouraging' Following Matt James Split But 'I Know It Will Be Okay'

Mar. 15, 2025

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Rachael Kirkconnellhas broken her social media silence for the first time sinceMatt Jamesannounced their shocking breakup.

On Wednesday, Jan. 29, Kirkconnell, 28, posted a statement to her Instagram Stories thanking fans for their “love and support” afterher tell-all interview onCall Her Daddythe previous day cleared the air on what led to her and James' split.

“Everything feels scary and discouraging right now but I believe everything happens how it is meant to and I know it will be okay,” she wrote.

“It’s a blessing to be able to feel things and let them hurt. Life is a messy and beautiful thing and I am thankful for all of the ups and downs it brings,” her statement, written on a black screen, continued. “Love you guys.”

In a second Story post, she shared a link to her interview with Alex Cooper, where she revealed the circumstances of the breakup — and her “total shock” at how quickly her ex shared the news publicly.

Rachael Kirkconnell speaks on breakup from Matt James.Rachael Kirkconnell/Instagram

Rachael Kirkconnell/Instagram

“Literally the plane is taking off and I see his post, and that’s it. I don’t have any service or anything for the next 12 hours, so I’m freaking out because, you know, just got broken up with, and now, a few hours later, it’s for the whole world to see and I’m still trying to process it,” she said.

The breakup itself, which happened on their trip to Japan, was “definitely out of nowhere,” she said, and she’s still not sure how it came to be. “I think that it was one of those things where he just came to this realization during our argument.”

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James, 33, told her he “just doesn’t think that I’m the person for him” despite how badly he “wanted it to work and as much as he loves me.”

Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James attend the 57th Academy of Country Music Awards at Allegiant Stadium on March 07, 2022.Rich Fury/Getty

Kirkconnell admitted on the podcast that she “always wondered if he had doubts” about her “being his person,” though the breakup was still a complete shock.

“I only had those doubts because, you know, the actions, like I said, weren’t following up with his words. So I’m like, I feel like I just wanna be with someone who is so excited to be with me and wants to wants to marry me and is excited to start a life with me.”

The couple had alsotalked about “family and kids more than anything,” which she said is “one of the saddest things” about the split.

“You picture your life or you have an idea of what it’s gonna look like, and now I’m like, I have no idea what life looks like from here on out. I’m like picturing these kids that are obviously no longer a thing, which kinda sounds crazy.”

Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James attend the 2021 Sports Humanitarian Awards on July 12, 2021 in New York City.Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty

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They have been in touch since ending their four-year relationship, though, with James calling “every few days just to make sure I’m okay,” to the point thatKirkconnell had to tell her ex, “You don’t need to call and check up on me.”

“I don’t know if he’s feeling bad or he just wants to see where I’m at, I don’t know,” she said.

source: people.com