Matt James Was 'Talking Plenty' with T.J. Holmes About Proposing to Rachael Kirkconnell Before Their Split

Matt James Was 'Talking Plenty' with T.J. Holmes About Proposing to Rachael Kirkconnell Before Their Split https://ift.tt/f0Lp1sz

Amy Robach said she was "heartbroken" about the split while T.J. Holmes reiterated that James was "not shy" about his intentions to propose to Kirkconnell

Marleen Moise/WireImage; Jamie McCarthy/Variety via Getty

T.J. Holmes and Amy Robach attend iHeartRadio z100's Jingle Ball 2024 (left); Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James attend Variety, The New York Party, at Loosie's Nightclub on October 05, 2023 (right)

Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes are providing some new context following Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell's shocking split.

Hours after James, 33, revealed in an Instagram post that he and Kirkconnell, 28, had made the "decision to end our relationship," on Thursday, Jan. 16, Robach and Holmes released an unplanned episode of their podcast to weigh in on the split.

Calling James a "dear friend," Robach, 51, said she was "heartbroken" to see James' post when she woke up as she said that she and Holmes, 47, "know Matt intimately and well."

Related: Matt James Was Posting from Romantic London Vacation with Rachael Kirkconnell Hours Before Shocking Split Announcement

"He has been a huge source of support for us individually and as a couple ever since we went through our situation a few years ago," she revealed. "And so he is considered a close friend of ours, and we're always rooting for him. And if that means him going his separate ways, then obviously we support that, but it's still sad to see a couple that we were rooting for — and that I think America was rooting for — [split]."

While Holmes said they were "not gonna speculate" on the reasons behind the couple's breakup, they did provide some behind-the-scenes insights on James and Kirkconnell's four-year relationship, which they said they "weren't just putting on publicly."

"We know Matt well enough to say this with confidence: he is an authentic dude. He is not putting on a show for Instagram followers or to make things seem better than they are," Robach said.

Rachael Kirkconnell/Instagram

Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James during a November trip in upstate New York

Holmes added, "Not only could you speculate and hope and wonder that the next announcement was going to be one about an engagement ... [James and Kirkconnell] say these things. I mean, he was on the show earlier on, on our podcast, and he's not shy about saying, 'Yes, marriage is next and marriage is what we're thinking.'"

Related: Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell's Relationship Timeline

Not only had the Bachelor alum spoken publicly about his intentions to propose to his girlfriend, but Holmes revealed that they had private conversations about taking the next step, too.

"[We're] walking a fine line here because there's, obviously, some stuff that we are privy to behind the scenes and from a personal standpoint with Matt over the years now," Holmes said. "So I do wanna make sure we're respectful of that relationship. But I can say that stuff he's putting out publicly is also what he was saying privately. [I've] been talking plenty with him about marriage and future and Rachael and where they were going, what they were gonna be."

Alexander Tamargo/Getty

Rachael Kirkconnell and Matt James at the Nassau Paradise Island Wine & Food Festival at Atlantis Paradise Island on March 16, 2024

Holmes reiterated that James' public commentary about proposing soon was "in line" with what he was saying "privately."

Robach and Holmes also shed some new light on the nature of James' relationship, as Holmes said, "There was a lot of strain on that relationship from ... I mean, personal and public responsibilities, from living situation," and Robach said they were "kind of in a long-distance relationship because... they never actually lived in the same town [full time]."

Still, both Holmes and Robach agreed that they were assuming "an engagement was gonna be the next thing we heard versus a breakup."

"Things happen behind the scenes," Holmes mused. "It doesn't mean it has to be nasty ... Sometimes you just come to this realization."

Amy and T.J. Podcast/Instagram

TJ Holmes, Amy Robach and Matt James

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After meeting on The Bachelor in 2020, James and Kirkconnell broke up briefly when photos of Kirkconnell attending an antebellum plantation-themed party emerged online, only to reconnect weeks later.

The topic of an engagement had been circling the couple for more than a year. In February 2024, James told PEOPLE they "wouldn't be together if [an engagement] wasn't the same goal," and he teased, "I'm definitely excited for what the future looks like."