One of Charleston's most infamous bachelors might be ready to settle down.
That's because, after years of playboy behavior, Southern Charm's Austen Kroll has finally found himself in a long-term relationship with new girlfriend Audrey, who he introduced to the world on the latest season of the Bravo series.
"We are still together," Austen exclusively told E! News at the show's season 10 premiere party in NYC, "and things are going well." (Watch E! News tonight, Dec. 9, at 11 p.m. for more exclusive interviews with the cast.)
But after a year of dating, the reality star isn't rushing into an engagement.
"We're not putting pressure on something like that so soon," Austen explained. "In my opinion, far too early. But we're just having fun ad enjoying each other as much as possible."
However, the 37-year-old is proud of his evolution over the past decade and his new desire to settle down.
"I've been afraid of the big 'ole 'C' word for a long time—the 'C' word being commitment, of course," he reflected. "And I think that when you watch a show that you're on, you're certainly looking at yourself in the mirror or there's a big mirror held up in front of your face. And with long talks with my therapist, I realized commitment is exactly what I was ready for upon meeting the right person. And I met the right person and couldn't ignore it, to be honest."
Michelle Watt/Bravo
Another "big commitment" Austen recently made? Asking Audrey to appear on the new season of Southern Charm, despite keeping their relationship relatively private up until this point.
"It's a thing to bring somebody into that part of your world," the Pillows & Beer podcast cohost admitted. "It was something that we both spoke about prior to filming this season. I was like, 'Is this something that you wanna do? I mean, I totally understand if you're like this world is not for me.' And she was like, 'It's important to you, so I'd be willing to dip in my toes and do things with you.' I just wanted her to feel as comfortable as possible."
Watch E! News tonight, Dec. 9, at 11 p.m. for more exclusive interviews with the Austen and his costars. Southern Charm airs Thursdays at 9 p.m. on Bravo.
And keep reading to learn more about the season 10 drama.
(E! and Bravo are both part of the NBCUniversal family)