Matt James Explains Why He Doesn’t Feel Pressure to Propose to Rachael Kirkconnell

There’s nothing Bachelor Nation loves more than a proposal — but Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell are continuing to do things on their own time.

“We're doing great. I feel like when you feel pressure, it's when you don't wanna do something. So I've never really felt pressure [to get engaged] because it's something that I've always wanted to do,” James, 32, told Us Weekly while promoting his partnership with Tylenol. “And it’s something that we're gonna do at some point. That's why we're together and what we're working toward. I'm excited about our future.”

When the time does come, James says he will have to get creative to pull off the surprise for Kirkconnell, 27.

“She asks a million questions. …, ‘Why are you asking me to get my nails done? Why are we doing this?’ She's just so intuitive that it's gonna be tricky,” he said. “It’s gonna be tough because she needs a reason why we do anything — and not a crazy reason, [but] just to know why. She never does something just to do it. So when that happens, I'll have to think outside the box. I'll have to stretch the truth on why we're doing something.”

Bachelor’s Matt James and Rachael Kirkconnell: A Complete Relationship and Drama Timeline

James and Kirkconnell met on season 25 of The Bachelor, which aired in early 2021. Nearly a year before the season aired, ABC announced on Good Morning America in June 2020 that he would be handing out roses. When Us informed James that it was recently the four-year anniversary since the GMA announcement (June 12, 2020), he was visibly surprised.

“That was crazy. I just think about that day and being at my friend's house with Tyler [Cameron]. I had on a bathing suit and Tyler's salmon jacket, which he wore everywhere,” he said. “Four years ago — it's like I was a freshman. I'm a senior now, I guess.”

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When asked what advice he’d give his younger self, James took a minute.”That's a good question. What would I tell Matt? I'd probably tell him that Tom Brady's gonna win a Super Bowl, so put some money on the Bucs," he said with a laugh before getting serious. "I would say just enjoy the process. It's gonna be crazy, but just trust yourself. Because I don't regret anything that's happened over the past four years. It's been amazing.”

In addition to looking back, James told Us about his summer plans, which include traveling with Kirkconnell while also maintaining his training schedule as he hopes to run the New York City marathon in under three hours.

"The marathon doesn't care that you're on vacation. You gotta commit to it. And there's been years where I haven't committed to it, and I paid the price for it on race day. And that's the worst. Like, I'd rather pay the price when I can control the hurt opposed to having to pay the price on race day," he told Us.

Speaking of injuries, James is sure to turn to Tylenol if he’s feeling an ache or pain during training.

“The cool thing about working with Tylenol is it’s a brand and a product that I've used since I can remember,” he told Us. ”One in five people dislike taking pills and Tylenol is now offering this easy to swallow pill that activates when wet and is easy to glide down the throat. And now that that's an option, maybe, people might be more inclined to push the limits a little bit. It’s a win-win for everybody.”