‘The Bachelor’ stars Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell separated

“The Bachelor” stars Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell have broken up.

James, 33, confirmed his split from his girlfriend of four years on Instagram on Thursday morning.

“Father God, give Rachael and me the strength to mend our broken hearts. Give us peace over this decision to end our relationship that transcends the world’s understanding,” James wrote, alongside a photo of the couple reuniting on his controversial season of “The Bachelor.”

“Give our friends and family kindness and love to comfort us,” he continued. “And remind us that our joy comes from you, Lord 💔. »

James tagged Kirkconnell, 28, in his post and disabled comments.

He posted a video of the couple eating pizza in London the day before confirming their split.

Kirkconnell has not yet confirmed the split from his side.

Her last post on her Instagram feed about James was on December 5, when she wished him happy birthday with a cute video montage of the couple.

“Happiest of birthdays to my best friend, my teammate, my sous chef, the man who has my whole heart,” Kirkconnell wrote. “You fill it (and my belly) with so much love and laughter and I’m so grateful to be able to dance this whole life with you. thank you for your endless love and support, your kisses and hugs. see you well other adventures, happy birthday my pumpkin ♡.

The former couple fell in love on season 25 of “The Bachelor” which aired in early 2021. They didn’t get engaged during the finale, but they remained a couple for the next four years.

As the season aired, Kirkconnell found herself at the center of a major controversy. Photos of her attending an Antebellum-themed party in college circulated online, causing major outrage from fans.

James — who was the first Black Bachelor — briefly broke up with Kirkconnell amid the fallout, but they got back together after the finale following Kirkconnell’s public apology.

Longtime host Chris Harrison defended Kirkconnell’s actions while giving an interview with Rachel Lindsay, who was the franchise’s first black Bachelorette in 2017. Harrison resigned from his position and later left the franchise for good. He was replaced by Jesse Palmer.

In the years following the scandal, James and Kirkconnell seemed to be in a great place as a couple.

“I learned a lot. And ultimately, everything we’ve been through has prepared us for the future,” James told People in 2022.

“It felt like the world was against us,” James continued. “Some people felt like the situation was blown out of proportion and others felt like it hadn’t received enough attention. We were just trying to enjoy each other and grow our relationship without having to deal with people we didn’t even know.