"The Bachelor" alum Rachael Kirkconnell has broken her silence on her shock split with "disrespectful" ex Matt James —while opening up about the "red flags" that arose from their unique living situation.

Rachael Kirkconnell shared a set of Instagram photos of her trip to Tokyo with Matt James, which ended in them going their separate ways.

James announced the couple's breakup in a Jan. 16 Instagram post just hours after it happened, a move Kirkconnell says "surprised" her: "I'm still in total shock."

Rachael Kirkconnell shared her side of her split from Matt James after four years together on the "Call Her Daddy" podcast.

The "Bachelor" Season 25 winner said she's "protecting my peace" and confirmed she and Matt James are "done" two weeks after he announced their split.

Matt James was spotted in public for the first time after shocking Bachelor fans with the announcement that he and Rachael Kirkconnell split after four years together. The former reality star, 33, had a grin on his face while braving the chilly weather during a New York City stroll on Tuesday,

James both stunned and confused Bachelor Nation after he cryptically revealed that he and Kirkconnell had broken up after four years of dating.

T here’s big drama happening in Bachelor Nation right now, and it doesn’t have anything to do with Grant Ellis’ season of The Bachelor, which premiered this week on the 2025