Bachelor Matt James & winner Rachael Kirkconnell spotted packing on the PDA in Miami weeks after the racism scandal
MATT James and Rachael Kirkconnell have been spotted soaking up the Miami sun despite the racism scandal that rocked the Bachelor Nation.
star previously disclosed that he was "focusing" on his relationship with the Georgia native.
, 29, and , 24, were seen packing on the PDA while enjoying a beach day in Miami, Florida.
The couple dried off from a dip in the ocean before walking arm in arm back from the beach.
The franchise frontrunner sported a bright coral long sleeved shirt and neon green swim trunks, while his controversial counterpart wore a leopard print bikini top and black shorts.
While Rachael checked messages on her phone, Matt wrapped his arm around her and escorted her off the sand.
The couple has been laying low of late, though they have been spotted a few times in and .
Following the After The Final Rose ceremony in March, the former football player revealed that he had broken up with the reality star after racially insensitive images surfaced from her time in college.
Matt confirmed to in April that he had decided to give their love another shot, as he revealed he was "not pursuing any relationship" other than his with Rachael.
"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," he shared.
When asked if the brunette had been putting in the work to educate herself on racism, the TV personality replied: "that's something you could talk to her about."
"A lot of what I'm focused on right now is the work that I'm doing in the community and with the [marathon] training."
At the end of The Bachelor season 25, in the final rose ceremony.
However, he canceled his final date with the young star, which left her "confused" and feeling "blindsided."
"I was very blindsided. But once that initial reaction went away, I thought about how strong I thought our relationship was, so for him to end things, he must have been very, very hurt by everything."
Rachael added that she still loved Matt and "always will" despite their breakup following her controversy.
The graphic designer caused an uproar when photos surfaced of her while in college, an event that seeks to glorify the confederate nation from the time of slavery.
after the photos emerged and that "Rachael might not understand what it means to be Black in America."
The athlete confirmed during the After The Final Rose ceremony that , explaining: "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."
When the two reunited for the first time after the scandal broke, Rachael offered her apology.
"I just want to take the time to say I'm really sorry.
"I really tried to put myself into your shoes as much as I could, I really do think that our relationship was very strong and the love that we shared was very real, so for you to end things I realize that must've been really hard for you as well, to where you must have been hurting.
"And I just want to say I'm really sorry for not understanding that initially. And that I'm really sorry that I hurt you," she gushed.
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Matt fired back: "The most disappointing thing for me was having to explain to you why what I saw was problematic and why I was so upset."
The couple has since rekindled and seem to be doing well as they vacation in Miami.