EXCLUSIVE Dragons' Den star Steven Bartlett takes huge step in his relationship with influencer girlfriend Melanie Vaz Lopes
MailOnline can reveal the couple have been house-hunting across the pond after the entrepreneur signed with a top Hollywood agent in a bid to crack America.
Relocating to Los Angeles with Melanie is the latest indication notorious workaholic Steven's commitment phobia is finally waning, as pals of the star believe he's finally ready to settle down with his girlfriend, who he's been dating for three years.
Steven, 32, is now being represented by WME, who boast talent including Adele, Kate Hudson and Ben Affleck on their roster, and it's hoped the agency will help entice US-based A-listers to appear on his hit Diary Of A CEO podcast.
MailOnline understands that wellness influencer Melanie, who is the founder of yoga retreat Bali Breathwork, has been heavily involved in choosing the couple's new property as Steven wants this home to be somewhere they can grow together.
It comes seven years after the pair split due to Steven's obsessive work schedule, where he claimed he was unable to commit to Melanie between 'seven in the morning and nine o' clock at night.'
MailOnline can reveal the couple have been house-hunting across the pond after the entrepreneur signed with a top Hollywood agent in a bid to crack America
A source said: 'Steven and Mel are house hunting in Los Angeles and have been enjoying looking for the right place for them both.
'Steven is generally spending more time in the US, he knows being Stateside is the best way to get A-list guests on the Diary Of A CEO, as he did recently with Michelle Obama.
'Silicon Valley is also at the heart of the tech industry, Steven has other key business interests in California as well.
'It makes sense for him and Mel to have a base there and going forward they will be splitting their time between the US and UK, which is also a huge indicator of where they are in their relationship, things have never been better between them.'
Steven rekindled his romance with wellness entrepreneur and influencer Melanie in February 2022, having previously dated her four years earlier.
Despite their huge, combined following on Instagram, Steven and Melanie keep their relationship off social media and rarely show each other on their respective profiles.
But over the weekend, Melanie couldn't hide her excitement, posting a image of Steven building furniture for them both at their temporary LA abode and captioning another shot of the blue skies and palm trees: 'New Home.'
They met on Instagram in 2016 after bonding over one of Steven's relationship videos and after flipping a coin, Melanie, who was based in Bali, flew to London to meet with Steven for the first time.
MailOnline has contacted Steven's representatives for comment.
Their romance failed to work initially due to the businessman's dedication to his work which was so intense, the Dragon admitted he couldn't commit to Melanie between 'seven in the morning and nine o' clock at night' due to his hectic schedule.
But after reconnecting in Bali, where Steven flew to prove his love for Melanie by surprising her out of the blue, the couple have been going strong and live together in his north London home.
Steven, who found success with marketing agency The Social Chain, which was valued at £300million when it first entered the stock market, kept the relationship secret from his fellow Dragons, who used to refer to his single status on the show.
And that was likely sparked by Steven's honesty regarding his work-life balance, which he previously claimed was nonexistent.
Speaking in 2017, he said: 'The way it is with me, between the hours of say seven in the morning and nine o' clock at night, I am in the zone, I've got total tunnel vision.
'I honestly do not realise that there's anyone else outside of my business and rooms I sit in that exists in terms of my personal and private life.
'So if my family or girlfriend text me, or message me during the day, the chances of me engaging in that meaningfully in that period is virtually impossible.
'In the evenings I'm often consumed with the day and I find it hard to switch off and engage with other relationships and that also costs those relationships.'
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