Who Is Lauren Zima, Chris Harrison's Girlfriend? She's Also In Bachelor Nation

Hair, Face, Blond, Blue, Beauty, Hairstyle, Skin, Fashion, Model, Smile, — (Image credit: Jeff Kravitz)

Host of The Bachelor/announcer of the final rose/wrangler of contestants Chris Harrison has a new lady of his own in his life. After their all-important red carpet debut earlier this year, Chris announced to the world that he was dating Entertainment Tonight producer Lauren Zima.

Unfortunately, Chris just told People he missed their first Valentine's Day, due to work (duty calls in the form of one fence-hopping Colton Underwood). "I have begged her and asked for forgiveness that we’re postponing," he said. "We’re doing a belated Valentine’s on Saturday. I will be making up for it and doubling down and making sure it’s killer on Saturday night."

So what do we know about Lauren, and how did she manage to nab Chris's final rose?

She's from the Midwest.

Lauren hails from the Elgin Township, IL, and studied journalism at the University of Missouri in Columbia.

She appeared on an MTV reality show.

Nowadays, she's in front of the camera as a host (more info to come!), but she actually appeared on MTV's Disaster Date at some point after she moved to Los Angeles in 2010. In case you don't know what that show is about, because I did not, it's a fake blind date/hidden camera situation that sounds...very stressful to me.

She's an industry pro, too.

Event, Fashion, Dress, Formal wear, Gown, Flooring, Ceremony, Suit, Carpet, Fashion design,

Lauren is now a senior producer and host on Entertainment Tonight (she joined them in 2015), and her focus is all things Bachelor. So, chances are she's known him for years—Chris regularly shows up at ET to talk The Bachelor.

She hinted at their early relationship.

Hilariously, this photo, from Lauren's Instagram, was snapped probably riiiight around the time they started dating (see below). So, there's some added weight to Lauren's comment that "Chris was lookin’ FLY at the taping 👏." VERY subtle.

A post shared by Lauren Zima (@laurenzima)
A photo posted by on

They got together last summer.

Harrison told People, "Officially, we’ve set the date on six months. People just didn’t know, but it was actually this summer." So this is the real deal, looks like! (Chris split from his wife Gwen in 2012, and has two kids.)

Their love of 'The Bachelor' keeps them strong.

I mean, I assume there are other things too, but Lauren said Chris and Colton were her two main guys, in life. So.

A post shared by Lauren Zima (@laurenzima)
A photo posted by on

They made their red carpet debut in January.

Chris and Lauren attended Entertainment Weekly‘s pre-Screen Actors Guild Awards party together last month—and hilariously, Lauren's employer Entertainment Tonight covered the new relationship. Lauren captioned the photo with a heart emoji, so you know they're serious.

A post shared by Lauren Zima (@laurenzima)
A photo posted by on

She's also a huge fan of Hannah B.

She's posted a couple of Instagrams about Hannah, writing: "Wishing this beauty/BEAST (in the best way) love — it all begins tonight and from the interviews I’ve done and promos I’ve seen, this season is going to be 🔥! "

A post shared by Lauren Zima (@laurenzima)
A photo posted by on

She's open about mental health.

In a moving Instagram post, Lauren wrote: "Last night I couldn’t fall asleep; stress was just taking over. The clock went to 2 am...3... and I mentally descended into a somewhat irrational tornado of decision-questioning and anxiety. This feeling is rare for me, and I don’t like being out of control and unsure."

A post shared by Lauren Zima (@laurenzima)
A photo posted by on

I kind of love this pairing!

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Katherine’s a contributing syndications editor at Marie Claire who covers fashion, culture, and lifestyle. In her role, she writes stories that are syndicated by MSN and other outlets. She’s been a full-time freelancer for over a decade and has had roles with Cosmopolitan (where she covered lifestyle, culture, and fashion SEO content) and Bustle (where she was their movies and culture writer). She has bylines in New York Times, Parents, InStyle, Refinery29, and elsewhere. Her work has also been syndicated by ELLE, Harper’s Bazaar, Seventeen, Good Housekeeping, and Women’s Health, among others. In addition to her stories reaching millions of readers, content she's written and edited has qualified for a Bell Ringer Award and received a Communicator Award.

Katherine has a BA in English and art history from the University of Notre Dame and an MA in art business from the Sotheby's Institute of Art (with a focus on marketing/communications). She covers a wide breadth of topics: she's written about how to find the very best petite jeans, how sustainable travel has found its footing on Instagram, and what it's like to be a professional advice-giver in the modern world. Her personal essays have run the gamut from learning to dress as a queer woman to navigating food allergies as a mom. She also has deep knowledge of SEO/EATT, affiliate revenue, commerce, and social media; she regularly edits the work of other writers. She speaks at writing-related events and podcasts about freelancing and journalism, mentors students and other new writers, and consults on coursework. Currently, Katherine lives in Boston with her husband and two kids, and you can follow her on Instagram. If you're wondering about her last name, it’s “I go to dinner,” not “Her huge ego,” but she responds to both.

She's from the Midwest.

She appeared on an MTV reality show.

She's an industry pro, too.

She hinted at their early relationship.

They got together last summer.

Their love of 'The Bachelor' keeps them strong.

They made their red carpet debut in January.

She's also a huge fan of Hannah B.

She's open about mental health.

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