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- “Bachelor” host Chris Harrison told Insider that if he ever gets married again, you likely won’t see his wedding on television.
- “I’m not a big live-out-loud kind of guy,” he said. “I’m not one that would probably do very well on ‘The Bachelor.’ It’s just not who I am.”
- Harrison has been dating “Entertainment Tonight” correspondent Lauren Zima for two years and recently designed his own line of wedding bands.
- The host also revealed that his favorite “Bachelor” franchise proposal in history was Trista and Ryan Sutter from the first season of “The Bachelorette.”
- Visit Insider’s homepage for more stories.
If Chris Harrison gets married again, you likely won’t see his wedding on television.
The longtime “Bachelor” host has become famous for bringing couples together in front of a camera. But when it comes to his own love life, Harrison told Insider he’ll be keeping things off-screen.
“I’m not a big live-out-loud kind of guy,” the 49-year-old TV star said. “Obviously I’m dating Lauren Zima, who I love very much. And she’s a public figure and I’m a public figure so, to a certain degree, we’re gonna be seen and our lives will be exposed a little bit. But we’re pretty good about keeping our personal life pretty personal.”
"I'm not one that would probably do very well on 'The Bachelor,'" Harrison added. "It's just not who I am. I tend to keep most of my private life pretty off-screen."
Chris Harrison and Lauren Zima, a 33-year-old correspondent for 'Entertainment Tonight,' have been dating since 2018
And the "Bachelor" host told Insider that they're the strongest they've ever been after going through the pandemic together.
"There's going to be a lot of pandemic breakups and divorces, and luckily we are not one of those," Harrison said with a laugh. "We are very much together and it has helped us grow together."
"It really pushed the pause button," he added. "We got to spend a lot of intimate time together and it was great."
Since quarantine began, Harrison has even launched his own line of wedding bands
Manly Bands
He designed 24 rings for Manly Bands, giving them names like "The Host" and "The Rose." They range in price from $650 to $3,500.
"There's a lot of little Easter eggs and tipping the cap to 'The Bachelor' and 'Bachelorette,'" Harrison said of his ring line. "For 20 years, I have kind of been the ultimate matchmaker. And I've watched people fall in love. I've watched people get married. I've watched families form and I realize how precious it is."
Harrison said that for now at least, his wedding bands are staying on his right hand.
"If and when I ever choose to get married again, I definitely won't be announcing it through the press," he said with a laugh. "I would probably like the girl I'm proposing to to find out first."
But when it comes to his favorite proposal from the 'Bachelor' franchise, Harrison said the choice is obvious
"The one engagement that really stands out to me was Trista and Ryan," he said, referring to "Bachelorette" stars Trista and Ryan Sutter, who have now been married for 17 years. "You just knew this was lightning in the bottle. Ryan was an unbelievable romantic, and a great writer and a great speaker. We just could feel in the air that there was something different."
"And this was only our third go around, we had two 'Bachelors' and then we did the 'Bachelorette,"' he continued. "So I just remember thinking, 'Man, this feels different. This feels really good and right.' And, in the end, it was. It legitimized our franchise. And it kind of proved to everybody that this works and this is something that will stand the test of time. They've always just been a shining example of what this show represents and what we always strive for every time we start a new season."
Craig Sjodin/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images
While the 'Bachelor' franchise has seen far more breakups than weddings, Harrison said he will never lose faith in the process
"People always laugh at me because they're like, 'You get so excited, you act like every time is the first time and everything is so genuine,'" Harrison said. "I'm a big believer in leaning into 'Why not?' Why not them? Why not just give them the benefit of the doubt and hope it works."
"It's so easy to sit there on the internet or sit there in your living room and say, 'It'll never work! They're gonna break up!'" he continued. "Well, congratulations. The majority of couples don't make it in this country, that's the way it goes. I'm standing here talking to you as a guy who's had a failed marriage. But why not just give people the benefit of the doubt and hope it does work and support them?"
Matt Klitscher/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images
And Harrison credits his own time with the "Bachelor" for turning him into a bit of a "hopeless romantic."
"I know it's hard. It's not that I don't realize there are breakups, and it's not that I don't understand that a majority of the relationships are going to end," he said. "But I also realize that when it works, when it's right, there's nothing better in the world. And when it feels good, and when you're in a great love story, you feel like you're bulletproof and you're 1,000 feet tall."
"So why not let people feel that as long, and as often, as they can?"
- Read more:
- 'Bachelorette' host Chris Harrison says quarantining with his girlfriend was 'kind of a godsend'
- Chris Harrison wants to see a 'Bachelorette' star get down on one knee and propose
- 'Bachelorette' star JoJo Fletcher reveals what she did with her old engagement ring after Jordan Rodgers proposed for the 2nd time
- Chris Harrison reveals what he does behind the scenes on the set of 'The Bachelor'