The Bachelor alum Matt James has teased a “special” marriage proposal to Rachael Kirkconnell in the future and how he’s “definitely excited” about it.
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Matt, 32, gave his final rose to Rachael, 27, on The Bachelor’s Season 25 finale that filmed in late 2020, and despite a two-month split in early 2021, they’ve been going strong as a couple ever since April 2021.
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Now that nearly three years have passed, fans are wondering when Matt is going to put a ring on it.
“We wouldn’t be together if that wasn’t the same goal,” Matt told People of getting engaged in a recent interview. “I’m definitely excited for what the future looks like with us.”
And Matt teased that when he does propose marriage, the way in which he pops the question won’t be casual or ill-conceived. After all, the pair has already traveled the world and tried different restaurants and cuisines together.
“It is going to be something special because Rachael’s very special,” Matt gushed of his girlfriend.
For instance, Matt insisted he certainly “won’t be doing that at home,” adding, “It’s a little more than getting engaged on the couch!”
But Matt acknowledged that he and Rachael have been totally content with their relationship progression thus far.
“It’s about doing whatever you’re doing at your own pace, whether that’s the relationship, your job, exercise,” Matt explained.
“If you do things that other people want you to do and you don’t consider y’all’s feelings, then I think that is a recipe for disaster.”
When asked if he’ll ever return to reality TV, Matt said he loves Survivor but probably wouldn’t last on the show because he’s “so regimented” when it comes to what and how he eats.
The Dancing with the Stars alum said he could picture maybe having a cooking show one day.
“But I’d have to have Rachael on there because I can’t cook. She makes the best everything,” Matt boasted. “I love to eat out, but there’s nothing more I love than a home-cooked meal. A lot of the times I’m eating leftovers.”
In July 2023, Matt and Rachael discussed the pressure Bachelor Nation has been putting on them to get engaged.
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Rachael joked with Us Weekly how she and Matt often “forget” they met on a reality show, but forgetting probably becomes more difficult when fans constantly asks them if they’ve broken up or if an engagement is on the horizon.
“I don’t get annoyed by any of that stuff. I get it,” Matt told Us in a joint interview with Rachael at the time.
“We post and share every aspect of our lives. So for people to be curious means that we’re, you know, keeping them in the loop and we want them in the loop.”
Rachael agreed that she understands the hype surrounding her relationship.
“They’ve been waiting for an engagement since the finale of the show,” Rachael acknowledged.
But The Bachelor winner asked fans to consider the fact she and Matt weren’t able to spend a lot of time together while filming The Bachelor and so their romance truly started in the real world, away from cameras.
“It’s not that weird [to not be engaged]. I feel like that’s pretty normal,” Rachael explained earlier this summer. “I feel like we’re doing all the right things to take our relationship to the next step.”
The Bachelor winner and Matt gushed about how they’re extremely happy with their relationship.
“Matt really is just my best friend,” Rachael told the magazine.
“I think at the end of the day, it’s just really fun to live the life that we live together. I don’t think anything that we do would be nearly as fun if I weren’t with him.”
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Rachael continued, “I love our dynamic, I think that we make each other better people. We bring out the better version of ourselves. I think we have a lot to teach each other.”
Matt also agreed that he’s been dating his best friend, which “makes everything that much better.”
“You get to enjoy life with that person,” the former The Bachelor star elaborated. “It’s a great come true. We’re always telling ourselves how blessed we are.”
Rachael told Us in June 2022 of taking her relationship with Matt to the next level, “The only timeline I give him is I was like, ‘I’ve got to have kids before, you know, I can’t have kids.’ So keep that in mind.”
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.”
And Matt told the Los Angeles Times around the same time, “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.”
After falling in love on The Bachelor, Matt and Rachael 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.
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 2023.
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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.