They’ve taken their relationship to the next step.
Matt James gushed over how supportive girlfriend Rachael Kirkconnell has been during his “Dancing With the Stars” journey, even saying she’s been “whipping him into shape” for the competition.
“Oh man, she’s been supporting me in every way imaginable,” the former “Bachelor,” 29, recently told Page Six and other reporters. “I mean, first of all, she was the only person who seemed to like my beard, so, you know, that’s love right there. And she was stoked about this opportunity for me.”
He added, “Her sister is an incredible dancer, so we’ve all been consulting about how I can improve my steps.”
James revealed Kirkconnell, 24, has even stepped in to help when he’s not in rehearsals with pro partner Lindsay Arnold.
“When I come back from practice, she’s been, you know, my dance partner outside of ‘Dancing With the Stars,'” he said. “I come back and try to apply the same lessons that I learned during my rehearsals, and she’s whipping me into shape. So, it’ll be a lot of fun.”
Kirkconnell attended Monday night’s Season 30 premiere to cheer on her boyfriend. She also took to social media to celebrate James’ “DWTS” debut earlier in the day.
“my man is officially trading in his skateboards sneaks for some dancing shoes!” she wrote on Instagram. “reminding you guys that @dancingabc is on TONIGHT (8 pm EST)! can’t wait for you guys to see how hard this guy has been working and what they’ve come up with, you won’t want to miss it… I promise he’s come a long way ;-).”
She added, “love you the most @mattjames919, already so so proud of you ♡.”
James and Kirkconnell met on the 25th season of “The Bachelor,” where she received the final rose. However, the pair broke up after photos of Kirkconnell attending an antebellum-themed party in college surfaced online, spurring racism accusations from viewers.
The contestant later apologized, and the pair reconciled their romance soon after.
“Dancing With the Stars” airs Mondays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.