Matt Lauer Prefers to Stay 'Low-Key' in 'Happy' Relationship with Shamin Abas: 'They Are Very Much Together'

A source tells PEOPLE that "life is very good for both of them, and Shamin is as happy as can be with Matt"

Matt Lauer and girlfriend Shamin Abas are "happy" staying off the radar.

A source close to the couple tells PEOPLE that “they are very much together,” adding, “Life is very good for both of them, and Shamin is as happy as can be with Matt and in the rest of her life.”

The relationship update comes as the former Today anchor, 65, was spotted solo at the Southampton Animal Shelter Foundation gala at The Muses in Southampton, New York, on Saturday. A second source says the outing was not an indication of issues in the romance.

Related: Matt Lauer and Shamin Abas Are 'Serious About Each Other' as Couple Steps Out for Rare Date Night: Source

“Matt and Shamin are both independent and busy people with responsibilities and obligations in their lives,” the insider reveals.

“Sometimes they each have something different to do at the same time,” the source continues. “Both of them are independent enough to do what is needed if the other can’t come. But they are very much a close and happy couple.”

The PR executive, 54, has been enjoying equestrian life and jumping horses, the source shares. “She is taking the jumping day by day but having a blast,” the insider adds.

Related: Who is Matt Lauer's Girlfriend? All About Shamin Abas

The insider says Lauer is now “very low key and likes to be off the radar,” adding, “He is happy but prefers to lay low most of the time. When he goes out in public it is because he has causes and events that he cares about.”

The former television personality and Abas stepped out together in January for a date night in New York City. At the time, a source told PEOPLE the pair were “happy and serious about each other,” adding, “They had a good solid foundation as friends and in business when they started dating, and the romance has grown over the years.”

Related: Matt Lauer Remains 'Withdrawn' 5 Years After 'Today' Exit: 'Talking to People from His Past Is Painful'

Prior to that, another source shared with PEOPLE in 2021 that Abas was "very happy" in her relationship with Lauer. The couple met through work about 20 years ago and remained friends. Following Lauer's divorce from ex-wife Annette Roque in 2019, he and Abas began dating.

Lauer and Abas both live in New York and spend time with each other between her work travels, according to a source. "She is a dedicated businesswoman who loves to work," the source said. "She is independent and has made a nice life for herself."

The source added that Abas supports Lauer "in every way" and that his past does not affect her business.

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Lauer was fired by NBC in November 2017 after a former network employee, later identified as Brooke Nevils, claimed he sexually harassed her. Several other women came forward with similar accusations thereafter.

Nevils publicly addressed her experience with Lauer in Ronan Farrow's 2019 book, Catch and Kill: Lies, Spies, and a Conspiracy to Protect Predators. In speaking with Farrow, Nevils alleged that Lauer raped her in his hotel room at the 2014 Sochi Olympics, where she was working for NBC's Meredith Vieira. Lauer has insisted all of his encounters were consensual.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.

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