Former 'Bachelor' host Chris Harrison and Lauren Zima are engaged: 'The next chapter starts now!'

Chris Harrison is finally receiving a rose of his own. 

The former “Bachelor” host and his girlfriend, “Entertainment Tonight” correspondent Lauren Zima, are engaged, the couple confirmed on Instagram Monday.

In a series of photos, Harrison, 50, is seen kneeling on one knee in front of his soon-to-be wife during a romantic, cliff-side dinner in Napa Valley. 

“I love you @laurenzima,” he wrote. “The next chapter starts now!

Zima, 33, who hosts the "Bachelor" recap show "Roses & Rosé," also shared the happy news on Instagram.

“We tell each other this all the time, and we said it again in an unforgettably beautiful moment this weekend: I didn’t know love could be like this,” she wrote. “You are the most incredible partner. Thank you for loving me, championing me and asking me to marry you. Here’s to the next amazing chapter, and all the rest.”

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Harrison's name has been synonymous with "The Bachelor" since he has hosted since the show premiere in 2002. He went on to host a variety of other TV events including the Miss America pageant, though he remained best known as the face of the original reality dating show, "The Bachelorette" (which arrived in 2003) and "Bachelor in Paradise."

However, he exited the franchise in June after 19 years following a racism controversy last season. 

"I’ve had a truly incredible run as host of 'The Bachelor' franchise and now I’m excited to start a new chapter," Harrison wrote in a now-deleted Instagram post at the time. "I’m so grateful to Bachelor Nation for all of the memories we’ve made together. While my two-decade journey is wrapping up, the friendships I’ve made will last a lifetime."

During "The Bachelor" (starring Matt James, the franchise's first Black male lead), contestant Rachael Kirkconnell faced backlash for previously liking Confederate flag-related TikTok videos and attending a plantation-themed party in 2018. Harrison came under fire for defending Kirkconnell, who who later apologized for her  "offensive and racist" actions and ultimately won James' season. 

"We all need to have a little grace… Because I've seen some stuff online, again this judge-jury-executioner thing, where people are just tearing this girl's life apart," Harrison said during an "Extra" interview with Rachel Lindsay, the first Black lead on "The Bachelorette." 

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"I'm not defending Rachael. I just know that, I don't know, 50 million people did that in 2018. That was a type of party that a lot of people went to."

He continued: "The woke police is out there. And this poor girl Rachael, who has just been thrown to the lions. I don't know how you are equipped when you have never done this before, to be woke enough, to be eloquent enough, to be ready to handle this."

Harrison later apologized to Lindsay, admitted in March he "made a mistake and would be stepping aside temporarily. Zima condemned his controversial remarks at the time, calling them "wrong and disappointing."

Defending racism can never happen," Zima wrote in a now-expired Instagram Story. "Accountability comes first, what’s next is learning and growth." 

In his more than 50 seasons hosting "The Bachelor" and its offshoots, Harrison served as a confidant to stars and contestants, as well as a narrator and guide for viewers. He was also the officiant at several televised "Bachelor" franchise weddings.

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Contributing: Hannah Yasharoff