Jillian Harris
Born (1979-12-30) December 30, 1979 (age 44)
Peace River, Alberta, Canada
EducationBritish Columbia Institute of Technology (2006)
OccupationTelevision personality
Known forThe Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Love It or List It Vancouver
PartnerJustin Pasutto
Children2
Websitewww.jillianharris.com

Jillian Harris (born December 30, 1979) is a Canadian television personality. She is best known for appearing on the television series The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, and Love It or List It Vancouver. She has also appeared on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Canada's Handyman Challenge, and The Bachelorette Canada.

Early life

Harris was born in Peace River, Alberta, Canada.[1][2] Her mother, Peggy, struggled with bipolar disorder throughout her childhood.[3]

Career

Harris began her interior design career while working at Caban, an interior goods store, which inspired her to begin giving design consultations. She was then hired by Scott Morison, the co-founder of the Canadian restaurant chain Cactus Club Cafe, to design his restaurants. She formalized her interior credentials with a 2006 certificate in interior design from The British Columbia Institute of Technology. She was then re-hired by Morison as the designer for Browns Socialhouse, his new chain of restaurants.[4][5]

Reality television career

In early 2009, Harris was a contestant on the 13th season of the American TV show The Bachelor, where she competed against 24 other women to win the heart of Jason Mesnick and finished as second-runner-up. In mid 2009, she was selected to be the star of the 5th season of The Bachelorette, making history as the franchise's first Canadian star.[1][6] She chose Ed Swiderski as the winner of her season, and the two became engaged but later broke up in 2010.[7]

In 2010, she was a designer on Extreme Makeover: Home Edition.[1][8] She headlined the Calgary Home + Design Show the following year, as part of the HGTV stand.[9] She hosted season one of the Canadian TV show Canada's Handyman Challenge, which aired in 2012.[1][10][11]

Between 2013 and 2019, Harris appeared on the Canadian TV series Love It or List It Vancouver, which aired on the W Network in Canada and on HGTV in the United States as Love It or List It Too. She was the show's designer, and competed against real estate agent Todd Talbot by redesigning a family's existing home in hopes that they would decide to stay in the home rather than choose to sell it.[12][13]

In 2016, she made a cameo appearance on the first season of The Bachelorette Canada, counselling Bachelorette Jasmine Lorimer.[14] Harris and her boyfriend Justin Pasutto, a former professional snowboarder, starred in their own four-episode documentary series, Jillian and Justin, which aired on W Network in Canada in June 2017.[15]

Other work

Harris ran her own brand of interior decor goods, and in 2013, she launched her e-vintage webstore, Charlie Ford Vintage.[16] She has collaborated with brands including Smash + Tess, Joe Fresh, and Canadian Tire to create fashion collections.[17][18] She has a subscription box, Jilly Box, and an online course titled Jilly Academy.[18] Harris published a plant-based cookbook titled Fraiche Food Full Hearts (Penguin Random House Canada, 2019) with her cousin, Tori Wesszer.[19][20]

Personal life

She lives in Kelowna, British Columbia.[2] Harris and Pasutto got engaged in December 2016.[21] The couple have two children: Leo George and Annie.[22] In June 2018, Passutto, Harris, and Wesszer appeared in the music video for Aaron Pritchett's "Worth a Shot".[23]

References

  1. ^ a b c d Wild, Diane (July 15, 2011). "Jillian Harris to Host Canada's Handyman Challenge". TV, eh?. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Yeo, Debra (November 19, 2015). "Hello Bachelorette Canada". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  3. ^ Corinthios, Aurelie (August 27, 2020). "The Bachelorette's Jillian Harris Opens Up About Her Mom's 30-Year Battle with Bipolar Disorder". People. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  4. ^ Lee, Jenny (July 7, 2013). "Q&A: Former Bachelorette Jillian Harris on the risky business of success". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  5. ^ Berg, Emma (June 7, 2019). "Rejection to opportunity: BCIT alumna Jillian Harris". BCIT News. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  6. ^ Rizzo, Laura (May 2, 2019). "Jillian Harris Has Been Slaying Since Being 'The Bachelorette' in 2009: See What She's Been Up To!". Life & Style. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  7. ^ Nahas, Aili (February 14, 2016). "Former Bachelorette Jillian Harris Opens Up about finding Happiness After Her Public Breakup: 'I've Learned a Lot'". People. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  8. ^ Bahadur, Natalie (November 29, 2011). "Jillian Harris' Design Inspiration". Style at Home. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  9. ^ Young, Claire (September 16, 2011). "The personal touch of Jillian Harris". The Calgary Herald. Archived from the original on March 11, 2014.
  10. ^ Toronto Life, "Talking To: Jillian Harris" Archived January 10, 2014, at archive.today, Murtz Jaffer, January 10, 2012
  11. ^ Cairns, Bryan (January 17, 2012). "Jillian Harris And Mike Holmes On 'Canada's Handyman Challenge'". Huffington Post. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  12. ^ Morawetz, Kate (August 28, 2012). "Jillian Harris Helms 'Love It or List It'". ET Canada. Archived from the original on August 31, 2017. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  13. ^ Kambili; Mundorf, Deirdre (January 27, 2023). "Love It Or List It Vancouver: 12 Facts About The HGTV Series". House Digest. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  14. ^ Yeo, Debra (September 14, 2016). "The Bachelorette Canada premiere: Off to a cheeky beginning". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  15. ^ Yeo, Debra (May 31, 2017). "Former Bachelorette Jillian Harris gets a new show". Toronto Star. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  16. ^ "Jillian Harris and Partners Launch Charlie Ford Vintage E-Commerce Website Today". Yahoo Finance. July 8, 2013. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  17. ^ Kuefler, Kayla (October 5, 2021). "'Because we're fun!': Jillian Harris on why Canadians always make it so far on 'The Bachelor'". Yahoo News. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  18. ^ a b Harris, Aleesha (October 22, 2022). "Jillian Harris talks building a brand, setting boundaries". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  19. ^ Newman-Bremang, Kathleen (October 15, 2019). "5 Plant-Based Fall Recipes From Jillian Harris's New Cookbook". Refinery29. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  20. ^ Harris, Aleesha (November 1, 2019). "Fraiche Food, Full Hearts: Jillian Harris, Tori Wesszer release a picture-perfect family cookbook". Vancouver Sun. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  21. ^ Corinthios, Aurelie (December 28, 2016). "Former 'Bachelorette' Jillian Harris Is Engaged: 'Well, That Was Some Christmas Morning!'". People. Retrieved March 13, 2023.
  22. ^ Juneau, Jen; Nahas, Aili (October 1, 2018). "Jillian Harris Welcomes Daughter Annie". People. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  23. ^ Morawetz, Kate (June 19, 2018). "Aaron Pritchett Releases New Music Video Starring Jillian Harris And Her Fiance". ET Canada. Archived from the original on July 10, 2021. Retrieved March 13, 2023.

External links

Preceded byDeAnna Pappas The Bachelorette Season 5 Succeeded byAli Fedotowsky
The Bachelor franchise
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