Daytime talk show host Nate Berkus is
talking about his new boyfriend.
In a cover story for New York City gay
glossy Next, Berkus announced he's got a new flame.
The 39-year-old Berkus, an interior
designer who became a television personality offering design advice
to viewers on The Oprah Winfrey Show, premiered his own
makeover-heavy talk show in September, becoming the first openly gay
man to host a nationally syndicated daytime talk show, The Nate
Berkus Show.
In 2004, Berkus lost his partner,
photographer Fernando Bengoechea, while the couple vacationed in Sri
Lanka. Bengoechea is presumed dead from a tsunami that hit the
island country.
Berkus met his boyfriend nearly two
years ago at a party. The Columbia University-educated architect,
who remains nameless, has a “very level head.”
“Wise, very pragmatic and a creative
person as well,” Berkus said.
For Valentine's Day “I got him a book
on a museum and we went to a friend's party,” he added.
During
an appearance last year on CNN's Larry
King Live, Berkus advocated for parents to intervene on
behalf of gay teens who are being bullied in school.