They recently enjoyed a romantic trip to NYC.
And lovebirds Matt James and Rachel Kirkconnell still looked smitten as ever as they hit the beach in Miami on Monday.
The former Bachelor, 29, proved things were still going strong with his controversial winning lady, 24, as he hugged her close while walking along the sand.
Lovers: Matt James wrapped his arm around girlfriend Rachel Kirkconnell during a fun day at a Miami beach on Monday
The former football player appeared to be comforting his love as she showed him something on her phone.
He wrapped his arm around the Georgia-based graphic designer, making sure she was feeling okay.
While James donned highlighter-hued shorts and a punchy coral pullover, Rachel went with a classic pattern, teaming a leopard print triangle top with black shorts.
Not needing any makeup, she went for a natural glow and pulled her wet tresses into a high bun.
Hunky: James also showed off his shredded abs during their sunny day
Together: He wrapped his arm around the Georgia-based graphic designer, making sure she was feeling okay
Colorful: James donned highlighter-hued shorts and a punchy coral pullover
It seemed like the pair made the most of their beach day, seen heading off after hours of fun in the sun.
As they got ready to leave Matt showed off his chiseled abs while drying off from a dip in the ocean.
Moments later, Rachel was also seen wiping the sea water from her body.
In April, Matt confirmed that he’s ‘pursuing’ a relationship with Rachael after splitting earlier this year.
The cat’s meow: Rachel went with a classic pattern, teaming a leopard print triangle top with black shorts
Long day: It seemed like the pair made the most of their beach day, seen heading off after hours of fun in the sun
Back together: In April, Matt confirmed that he’s ‘pursuing’ a relationship with Rachael after splitting earlier this year
‘I’ve seen Rachael a handful of times,’ he told PEOPLE magazine. ‘I’m not pursuing any relationships right now outside of that. I said I was going to focus on my relationship with her and that means focusing on it.’
The Bachelor ended in heartbreak and controversy in March after James, the show’s first Black lead, gave Rachael his final rose but opted not to propose, but then revealed he broke up with her while their pre-taped episodes were still airing when ‘racist’ images of her attending a plantation-themed party were exposed online, along with evidence of past racially-insensitive social media posts.
James addressed a number of topics on the ABC show After the Final Rose which was hosted by Emmanuel Acho as Chris Harrison stepped aside after a heated debate with Rachel Lindsay where he defended Rachael’s attendance at the 2018 college party on a plantation where she also dressed up.
‘I’ve seen Rachael a handful of times,’ he recently told PEOPLE magazine. ‘I’m not pursuing any relationships right now outside of that. I said I was going to focus on my relationship with her and that means focusing on it’
Matt, who had been with Rachael since Thanksgiving last year when the show wrapped, said he initially dismissed reports of her social media activity as ‘dark and nasty’ rumors when they emerged in late January.
But when an image of her attending a plantation-themed sorority ball photo was revealed in early February, Matt — whose After The Final Rose special wasn’t taped until March — said he decided to call it quits after feeling that Rachael ‘might not understand what it means to be Black in America.’
‘If you don’t understand that something like that is problematic in 2018, there’s a lot of me that you won’t understand. It’s as simple as that,’ he told Michael Strahan on Good Morning America.
The After The Final Rose special marked the first time that the former couple had come face to face since their split, and saw Rachael apologizing to Matt in-person, while describing him as ‘the love of her life.’
A nicer time: While Matt didn’t offer a proposal on the finale of The Bachelor, he did end up giving Rachael his final rose
Not great: Photos surfaced of contestant Rachael Kirkconnell at a plantation-themed party in 2018 as well as a history of liking photos with the Confederate flag
She also insisted that she was taking the time to educate herself about racism.
During the special, Matt said: ‘You wanna believe that you know your person better than anybody else knows your person. This controversy swirling around who Rachael is and events she might’ve attended, pictures that she liked and people that she’s associated with.
‘I’m trying to be there for her, and I dismissed them as rumors, because that’s what they were to me.
‘You hear things that are heartbreaking and you just pray they’re not true. And then, when you find out that they are it just makes you question everything,’ he added.
Attempt: The After The Final Rose special marked the first time that the former couple had come face to face since their split, and saw Rachael apologizing to Matt in-person, while describing him as ‘the love of her life’