Rachael Kirkconnell Says She’s ‘Chronically Single’ After Matt James Split: ‘Someone Date Me!’

Rachael Kirkconnell is still navigating the single life after her split from Matt James in January.

The reality star, 29, has been single for almost a year, but she admitted that it hasn’t been easy to jump back into the dating pool. During an appearance on influencer Hallie Batchelder’s Extra Dirty podcast on Thursday, Oct. 16, Kirkconnell said that her “single era” has been “terrible.”

“Hi, someone date me!” she joked, looking straight at the camera. “No, I’ve been so chronically single. I haven’t been on a single date. I’m not on the apps. I’m not judging anyone who is on the apps, but I just don’t think that would work well for me. But honestly, if it gets to a point, I might have to jump on them.”

“We were talking about dry spells last night,” Kirkconnell said, noting both she and Batchelder have gone through long dry spells over the past year.

“Dry spells are important though, for self-discovery,” Batchelder, 26, chimed in, but Kirkconnell didn’t know if she agreed.

“I’m like, okay, I’m discovered,” she quipped. “I’m just lonely. I just, I don’t know, [want to] at least flirt with someone and get excited about someone and have a crush. I think I like gay guys. That’s the problem. I think I have a problem. I think I like people who don’t like me back, or can’t like me back. Something’s wrong up here.”

The Bachelor winner went on to suggest she might be “demi-sexual,” a term that refers to someone whose sexual attraction to a person depends on their emotional bond. However, she said she didn’t think she is attracted to women, so she wasn’t sure if the term applied to her.

“I just feel like I do have to have an emotional connection with someone,” Kirkconnell explained. “I can’t just go home with anyone. I have to feel safe and comfortable with them and be emotionally invested at least in a way that I could see us dating or I at least have a crush on them because of — I don’t know, it’s not like a physical attraction I guess — personality?”

While Kirkconnell is able to find people physically attractive to her, that doesn’t lead to her wanting any deeper interaction until she knows more about them.

“I think they’re really hot, but I don’t care after that because they could still be a terrible person or have the worst personality ever, and that would make me not want to sleep with them because that totally turns me off,” she shared. “I guess their attraction only gets them so far for me.”

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Earlier this year, Kirkconnell and James, 33, who met on his season of The Bachelor in 2021, called it quits and sent shockwaves through their fandom. 

James announced the news on Instagram at the time with a prayer that read: “Father God, give Rachael and I strength to mend our broken hearts. Give us a peace about this decision to end our relationship that transcends worldly understanding.”

Weeks after the split, Kirkconnell told PEOPLE she was “surprised” by the breakup.

“The whole thing’s just been really weird because one, I didn’t expect anything at all,” she said. “Then, two, just the way he went about it and the way it was so public was really hard to deal with and go through the motions. It was one of those things where I’m not registering.”

She added that she had been leaning on her friends and family to cope. 

“They know how to be there for me, and it’s been a lot easier knowing that I have people in my corner and that I’m not alone, even though it can feel like it sometimes,” Kirkconnell said.