The Bachelor's Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell are happier than ever, and feel no rush to get engaged. Matt's season didn't end with a proposal, a rarity on the ABC series. The pair also faced some bumps in the road, including a temporary split soon after filming. Since reuniting, the couple have been taking their relationship at their own pace. But some aren't satisfied with that.
Matt initially faced some controversy for taking Rachael back. But the 29-year-old decided to ignore the haters and focus solely on his rekindled relationship. Currently, Matt and Rachael are the picture of romantic bliss. But the successful reconciliation didn't stop the pressure that comes with being in the public eye. Instead, onlookers shifted to speculating on their next steps. The pair continues to ignore outside perspectives, which has only made them stronger.
Rachael gushed to Us Weekly that she and Matt are in a "great place." Speaking to the magazine at Fashion Week, the 24-year-old opened up on how they got there. “We just needed to take that time away from everyone and really figure everything out," she explained, "and I think that we were just so sick of the outside noise." Instead of paying it attention, they declared, " 'We need to just put all of that aside and really focus on our relationship and how we feel about each other and nothing else.’ " This approach clearly worked, as she went on to call the current state of things "so so incredible." Now they're extending that same attitude to combat the pressure to get engaged.
While they do talk about the future, Rachael and Matt are happier taking things slow. And neither partner wants to put pressure on the other, because the outside world does enough. In fact, she claimed, "we get that question every single day....'When are you guys getting engaged? Are you guys engaged yet?’" She added that, given the nature of the show where they met, "that’s all our relationship was in the beginning.”
Rachael also pointed out they're currently bicoastal, as Matt is competing on Dancing With The Stars. But she plans to visit him whenever she can. The Georgia native also confirmed they've discussed living together in New York City, though the pandemic has made it a bit complicated.
The Bachelor may typically end with a big proposal, but that certainly isn't a recipe for success. On the contrary, most of the winning couples end up calling off their engagements. Like Dale Moss and Clare Crawley before them, Matt and Rachael are forging their best path. It might not be what fans expected, but that could be for the best.
Source: Us Weekly