Bachelor’s Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell Are in a ‘Good Place’ Amid Public Pressure to Propose

Fans have been wondering for years about when The Bachelor star Matt James will propose to final pick Rachael Kirkconnell , but he exclusively told Life & Style how he’s been able to block out the noise.

“Anything will affect you as much as you let it affect you,” Matt, 32, said while promoting his partnership with RXBAR. “You just have to have thick skin. Being in New York helps a lot. Being a former athlete helps. You just grow accustomed to it. It just goes back to doing what makes you happy and doing what you feel is right. That’s why I think we’re in such a good place.”

Matt and Rachael, 27, met on season 25 of The Bachelor , which filmed in the fall of 2020 and aired at the beginning of 2021. The two did not get engaged at the final rose ceremony, but still decided to leave the show as a couple. However, they split before the finale aired in March 2021, only to reconcile a few weeks later. More than three years since then, they’re going strong.

“We just kind of go by the beat of our own drum,” Matt explained. “I think that’s why it works for us. We just try to make each other happy and no one else. We just kind of live in our own bubble and do the things that make us happy and that seems to have been working for us.”

Since his stint as the Bachelor , Matt has become an avid marathon runner who’s dedicated himself to fitness and wellness, and he said that Rachael has been his No. 1 supporter. “She loves race day,” he gushed. “She’s been to every single one of my races. … Every race I’ve ran since the show, she’s been there. She’s just as much a marathoner as I am. She’s putting up with [me]. … She’s such a good sport, she just sits there and nods and listens.”

Fans can now also experience what it’s like to train with Matt thanks to RXBAR’s No B.S. Motivator experience. With the use of augmented reality (AR) technology, fans can access virtual pep talks and guided exercises from the reality star when you visit RXBARNoBSMotivator.com .

“As someone who is a fan of the brand and someone who’s been consuming the product, it’s very easy for me to speak – not just to the product – but, like, the experience I feel in a unique way,” Matt said. “Specifically to their slogan, which is ‘NO B.S.’ As a former collegiate athlete, former professional athlete, and a current runner, there’s so much self-doubt that athletes go through on a daily basis. … All these intrusive, invasive B.S. thoughts that I’m fighting every single day and I know other athletes and runners are fighting those same things. So what better way than to be introduced as the No B.S. Motivator pre-workout to motivate people that workout and are having these nasty, intrusive thoughts? And post-workout, when they want to be celebrated for achieving what they set out to do?”

He added, “It made sense with my lifestyle, with what I’m about, and with what we’re both promoting.”