“The Bachelor” star Matt James reveals breakup with season 25 winner Rachael Kirkconnell: 'Mend our broken hearts'

The Bachelor star Matt James has announced his breakup with season 25 winner Rachael Kirkconnell.

The 33-year-old shared early Thursday an Instagram photo of himself holding hands with Kirkconnell, with a caption that invoked his religion as he said that the pair's relationship was over.

"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," James wrote. "Shower our friends and family with kindness and love to comfort us. And remind us that our Joy comes from you, Lord."

Related: Bachelor Matt James breaks silence on Chris Harrison, Rachael Kirkconnell: 'Incredibly disappointing'

Though James tagged Kirkconnell in his post, as of the publication of this article, Kirkconnell's profile had not yet posted about the breakup. The 28-year-old's most recent post included a video montage of herself traveling with James, with the caption wishing him a happy birthday on Dec. 5.

"Happiest of birthdays to my best friend, my teammate, my sous chef, the man that has my whole heart. you fill it (and my tummy) with so much love and laughter and i’m so thankful i get to dance through this life with you," Kirkconnell wrote. "Thank you for your never ending love and support and smooches and snuggles. to many more adventures, happy birthday my pumpkin."

Entertainment Weekly has reached out to a representative for Kirkconnell for comment.

James previously made Bachelor franchise history as the first African-American man to lead a season of the ABC dating show, with his season being filmed entirely in one location — the Nemacolin Woodlands Resort — amid COVID safety precautions in 2020.

The couple previously made headlines after a photo surfaced of Kirkconnell attending an antebellum plantation-themed fraternity party in 2018, with the star eventually apologizing for her "racist and offensive" actions.

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James and Kirkconnell later temporarily broke up amid fallout from the scandal, though they later rekindled their romance.

"It was crazy," James told PEOPLE at the time. "It felt like the world was against us. Some people felt like the situation was blown out of proportion and others felt like it hadn't gotten 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 weighing in."

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