Chris Harrison is famous for his time as the host of “The Bachelor” franchise which saw him helping countless couples navigate the early days of romance. But did you know that Chris has also found his own happily-ever-after? Indeed, he’s married to former “Entertainment Tonight” host and producer, Lauren Zima.
Chris mentioned his wife during a recent interview with People, explaining how she helped him after he left “The Bachelor” franchise behind.
“You know, when you do something every single day for two decades, and it’s so popular around the world, there is a pressure to that, and there’s a spotlight and a microscope that you don’t even realize you’re under until you kinda get off that merry-go-round,” he explained.
“And it was this kind of angst when I first got off, because I mean, ‘Oh, well, I gotta get back on. I gotta go back to work,’ or…,” he continued. “And then I kind of took a deep breath and you dropped your shoulders, and I think, you know, obviously falling in love definitely helped, moving to Austin definitely helped kind of relieve that and realize, ‘Wow, there’s a whole other world out here to dive into.’ And so it has been a wonderful break and relief.”
Chris Teased the ‘Next Chapter’ for the Couple
Presley Ann/Getty ImagesAlong with helping Chris get off the merry-go-round that he was on, he also credits Lauren with helping to get his creative juices flowing again.
“Honestly, for the first time in a long time, that fire has been reignited with this amazing woman to dive back in and do some creative work,” he told People. “And there is a next chapter coming up very soon for both of us that is …We’re going to be very excited to talk about.”
Chris Recalled How their Relationship Started
Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images for Kershaw\'s ChallengeWhen it comes to Chris and Lauren’s life together, he noted during an interview for Nick Viall’s “Viall Files” podcast in 2019, that he’s “a lucky son of a gun.”
However, he did reveal that there was a moment of hesitation when they first got together because they occasionally met in professional circumstances.
“At the very beginning we did have the conversation of, do we wanna do this?” Chris explained. “When we met and when we actually went on a date and we could tell there was chemistry and we really liked each other and there was something there, then there was the conversation of, do we really wanna do this?”
“And, I’ll be honest, I was a little selfish because, I don’t really care,” he said at the time. “I’ve been doing The Bachelor long enough that I don’t really care whose feathers I ruffle and how many waves I cause, because my personal life is much more important to me than my professional life now.”
While Chris told Lauren that he respected the “conflict of interest” they faced, he says Lauren “laid a big kiss” on him in response. “And I said, ‘OK, we’re doing this.'”
