Still going strong. Disgraced journalist Matt Lauer struck a romance with his girlfriend, Shamin Abas, three months after finalizing his divorce from ex-wife Annette Roque in September 2019. He was spotted catching a plane to New Zealand with the businesswoman and his longtime friend on December 19, and In Touch exclusively revealed they are a couple on December 31. Since then, the two have been spotted on a few rare occasions spending time together. Scroll down to learn more about Lauer’s leading lady.

Sparks are still flying.

Lauer and Abas were in great spirits while checking out a car show with his son Jack in the Hamptons, New York, on July 12, in photos obtained by Daily Mail. The father of three test-drove a luxurious Ferrari F8, which costs around $280,000, and his girlfriend made sure to document their outing by taking photos of the duo next to the opulent cars.

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Abas and Lauer go way back.

The couple was friends for at least 15 years before they started dating. In 2005, they were seen having dinner in Palm Beach, Florida. While other friends turned their backs on him following his sexual assault allegations, she stayed by his side. After his split from Roque, their relationship became romantic. “Obviously one thing led to another, and they’re a full-fledged item now,” a source close to the former Today host told In Touch in 2019. “She knows who he is. She’s thrilled she’s with him. She doesn’t seem to have a care in the world.”

She’s a public relations executive.

The brunette beauty is a well-connected publicist, and Lauer is hardly the only celebrity socializes with. She runs in the same circles as Russell Simmons (who had a sexual assault scandal of his own) and Star Jones. Her PR company works with high-end clients like Dom Pérignon, Rolls-Royce, Ferrari and NetJets.

She’s from Wales.

In recent months, Abas split her time between New York and Florida, but she grew up in the small town of Llandegfan, Wales. Her father, who is Persian, was a math teacher. Her British mother was a jazz singer and later became a homemaker. With two sisters and a brother, the family of six had a full house. They also stood out in the overwhelmingly white area. “We were the darkest kids in town,” she told The Palm Beach Post in 2010. “There was a lot of teasing.”

Like Lauer, she was married before.

In Touch/MEGA

Though she hasn’t weathered a marriage-ending public scandal like her boyfriend, she has been through the wringer when it comes to relationships. The PR exec was married and divorced twice before she started dating the former news anchor. Nowadays, both appear to be thrilled with their love lives. “Matt [seems] to be really happy,” an insider previously told In Touch. “His famous grin is back.”

She looks a lot like her boyfriend’s ex.

When Abas and the TV host hopped on a flight to his faraway ranch last year, eyewitnesses couldn’t help but notice the resemblance she bore to Roque. Both have brown hair, and the resemblances don’t end there.

Lauer and Abas were seen “whispering close and giggling” throughout the trip, and one source told In Touch the similarities were uncanny. “Some people thought it was Annette.”