Entertainment TV Who is Matt Lauer's Girlfriend? All About Shamin Abas The former Today show anchor began dating Shamin Abas in 2019 By Staff Author Published on January 31, 2023 10:25 AM Share Tweet Pin Email Meet Matt Lauer's girlfriend. The former Today show anchor has been in a relationship with Shamin Abas since 2019, a romance that began after he and his ex-wife Annette Roque finalized their divorce that same year. Prior to their romance beginning, the pair knew each other for nearly two decades; Abas, 53, who a businesswoman with a marketing background, met Lauer, 65, through work and they maintained a longtime friendship. "Matt and Shamin are happy and serious about each other," a source recently told PEOPLE of the couple. "They had a good solid foundation as friends and in business when they started dating, and the romance has grown over the years." Recently, the couple was seen enjoying a romantic date night Jan. 28 in New York City's Upper East Side — photos captured showed them dressed for dinner as they strolled holding hands. Matt Lauer and Shamin Abas Are 'Serious About Each Other' as Couple Steps Out for Rare Date Night: Source While Lauer and Abas tend to keep a low profile, they've been spotted together a handful of other times; in January 2020, the duo was photographed in New Zealand, which marked one of the first times they were publicly spotted out together. Matt Lauer, Shamin Abas. Jason Kempin/Getty; Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan/Getty "They try and stay out of the spotlight but are happy together and not interested in a high-profile life," the source continued. "They are off the radar and low-key. They are enjoying their lives." A few months prior to the New Zealand outing, multiple sources confirmed to PEOPLE in Sept. 2019 that Lauer finalized his divorce from Roque after over 20 years of marriage. The divorce became official nearly two years after the couple separated following Lauer's termination by NBC for alleged sexual misconduct. Here's everything to know about Abas, including her professional life and personal past. She's a successful marketing businesswoman PATRICK MCMULLAN/Patrick McMullan/Getty Abas is a Welsh-born publicist and businesswoman who works in marketing and events around New York, including the Hamptons, and in Palm Beach, Florida. She often works with high-end luxury clients and travels around the world for her job. Like Lauer, she lives in New York. A source told PEOPLE in November 2021 that the two spend time with each other between her work travels. "She is a dedicated businesswoman who loves to work. She is independent and has made a nice life for herself," the source said at the time. Inside Matt Lauer's Relationship with Girlfriend Shamin Abas — Years After 'Today' Show Firing She was friends with Matt Lauer for several decades before dating Jared Siskin/Patrick McMullan/Getty Lauer and Abas began dating in 2019, following Lauer's divorce from ex-wife Annette Roque that same year. The couple knew each other years prior to starting their romance: They met through work about 20 years before dating and remained friends. She's 'very happy' in her relationship with Lauer Joe Schildhorn/Patrick McMullan/Getty Four years after NBC revealed that a complaint of "inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace" had been filed against the former Today anchor in 2017, a source told PEOPLE that Abas was "very happy" in her relationship with Lauer. More recently, a source echoed similar sentiments about their relationship: "They are happy and both busy in their own lives, as well as together. They have many of the same interests." How Matt Lauer's Life Has Changed 4 Years After He Was Fired from the Today Show She's previously been married Patrick McMullan/Patrick McMullan/Getty Prior to her relationship with Lauer, Abas was married twice before: first, to a Detroit-based dentist, and then to nightclub entrepreneur Frank Cilione. As for Lauer, the November 2021 source told PEOPLE Abas supports him "in every way" and that his past controversies did not affect their relationship.