As Dominic Bowden becomes the new Hollywood face of Bravo for New Zealand and Australia, he’ll have his fiancee by his side.
On Thursday, Bowden’s appointment was announced at a ritzy Warner Bros. Discovery event at Auckland’s Shed 10, where Three and Bravo announced their new season line-ups.
It means he’ll be back on the red carpets of LA, interviewing celebrities ahead of premieres for an audience Down Under.
Bowden is no stranger to famous faces Stateside. He has interviewed a fair few and filled a little black book of contacts when he worked as host on two major US network shows in the late 2000s and early 2010s which complemented his work on New Zealand Idol and X Factor NZ.
His love affair with the US has never waned and he has spent much of this year enjoying the sights with top model fiancee Esther Cronin, to whom he proposed last year.
“We’ve spent most of the year up in America and I’ve got to say, it’s really felt like a transformative time; the world is coming to life and, of course, it’s meant that we’ve finally been able to come together again,” Bowden tells Spy.
The couple share a passion for wellness and have a podcast together called Wellbeings.
“Esther has been behind everything you’ve seen with Wellbeings and I’m just super proud of her and really in awe of her ability to connect with people from all corners of the world,” says Bowden, who was formerly married to former TV reporter Claire Robbie.
“Whether hiking in the national parks or doing a podcast from Black Rock City at Burning Man, it has been an incredible year for us both, building an amazing little community and learning from each other and some epic humans from around the world.”
Last month, Bowden and Cronin were in New York for BravoCon and that’s where his vernacular changes to words like Bravolebs and Bravoholics - the latter he says queue for three hours to get selfies with the talent.
Bowden says he teased the network’s biggest star Andy Cohen about getting kissed a lot by fellow Bravo talent on the stage and on his own show - to which Cohen replied: “I’m always open for business, baby!!!”
Bowden also talked to Real Housewives stars about their wellness rituals and what tricks they have up their sleeves.
“I learned a thing or two from Lisa Rinna, let me tell you. She’s an absolute star,” he says.
Cronin has also helped Bowden produce a lot of the Bravo red carpet footage they collected for Kiwi and Aussie audiences.
So, when are they making it official?
They are looking forward to spending time with friends and family over the summer before heading back to Hollywood early next year for awards season.
“Our big decision is where we get married in NZ,” Bowden says.
“Or maybe it’s a destination wedding in California. But for now, more than anything, it feels so good to be home.”
