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.

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.

“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.

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.