Heather Martin Reveals Whether She’s Dating Matt James After ‘The Bachelor’

Heather Martin set the record straight on a new episode of 'The Ben & Ashely I Almost Famous Podcast,' where she addressed rumors she's dating Matt James.

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April 6, 2021 3:50PM EDT
Heather Martin, Matt James
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THE BACHELOR - ABC's "The Bachelor" stars Matt James. (ABC/Billy Kidd)
THE BACHELOR - “The Bachelor: After the Final Rose” – On-air personality and bestselling author Emmanuel Acho hosts an emotional and impactful evening featuring touching reunions, heart-wrenching confrontations and powerful one-on-one talks with the final women as well as the Bachelor himself, Matt James. Plus –just when you thought the twists and turns were finished – a shocking announcement that will have Bachelor Nation talking, all on “The Bachelor: After the Final Rose,” MONDAY, MARCH 15 (10:00-11:03 p.m. EDT), on ABC. (ABC/Craig Sjodin) RACHAEL
THE BACHELOR - “The Bachelor: After the Final Rose” – On-air personality and bestselling author Emmanuel Acho hosts an emotional and impactful evening featuring touching reunions, heart-wrenching confrontations and powerful one-on-one talks with the final women as well as the Bachelor himself, Matt James. Plus –just when you thought the twists and turns were finished – a shocking announcement that will have Bachelor Nation talking, all on “The Bachelor: After the Final Rose,” MONDAY, MARCH 15 (10:00-11:03 p.m. EDT), on ABC. (ABC/Craig Sjodin) MICHELLE
Image Credit: Shutterstock/ABC

Believer it or not, there seems to still be unfinished drama from the recent season of The Bachelor. Surprise contestant Heather Martin appeared on the April 6 episode of The Ben & Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast to address rumors that she is dating Matt James. “I’m not dating Matt,” the 25-year-old Bachelor alum shared with the Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti.

Rumors started circulating that Heather might be involved with Matt since the show wrapped, as her part from “The Women Tell All” special was mysteriously cut from the episode after she made a brief appearance during Matt’s season in the quest for his heart. But since the season wrapped, Bachelor Nation’s focus has been on the aftermath of Rachael Kirkconnell‘s racism scandal and the decision that Matt made to call off his engagement to the woman who received his final rose. Bearing that in mind, Heather was sure that the former Bachelor star, 29, was focusing on himself and building the next chapter of his life post-Bachelor.

Heather Martin made a brief, but memorable, appearance on Matt James’ season of ‘The Bachelor’ [Shutterstock].
“I think he has a lot going on in his life,” Heather said. “You know, he’s going through a ton. I can’t even imagine…so many different aspects of the show, just everything. So, I think he has a lot going on right now. So, no, I’m not dating Matt,” she reiterated to the hosts. The reality TV stars have been close to each other, at least by physical distance.

In early March, Matt shared a video of himself at Sandlot Times, a skateboarding spot near San Clemente, causing some fans to wonder if the two had crossed paths. “I mean, San Clemente is like 30 minutes from me,” Heather, who was born and raised in San Diego, shared with the hosts. “My best girlfriend lives there. So, I’m in San Clemente all the time. I guess he was there, too,” she continued.

Matt James was the first Black man cast as the lead of ‘The Bachelor’ for season 25 [ABC].
Clearly, there’s nothing going on between Heather and Matt. As for Bachelor Nation, there’s been a growing call to address inclusivity, vetting contestants, and even Chris Harrison‘s role as host of the show following the fallout from this season. With this rumor put to rest, Bachelor Nation can keep its focus on addressing the important issues at hand.