He's secretly been dating the former Blue Heelers star for about six weeks, and last week she moved into Rove's million-dollar Melbourne home. 'I'm so happy for Rove,' says Carrie Bickmore, who appears on his hit Sunday night variety show Rove. She was among the many who were unaware of their secret romance.

Tasma has been helping Rove build a new life after the tragic death of his wife and soulmate Belinda Emmett, who lost her long battle with cancer almost 12 months ago. Rove's manager Kevin Whyte confirms the talk show host is happily in love with Tasma, who he has shared a friendship with for about 10 years. The actress even performed on some of Rove's first TV shows.

'It's still early days and we hope people will give them the space they need,' Kevin says. 'They're seeing each other and are very happy spending a lot of time with each other,' confirms a friend, who says they hoped to keep the relationship private until Christmas.

Tasma, 33, was seen helping removalists move furniture and boxes of other possessions into the home Rove shared with pretty actress Belinda in the up-market suburb of Richmond two weeks ago.

'It's very new, very, very early, but look, the main thing is Rove is very happy,' a friend says. 'Everyone should be thrilled he's found someone special to share his time with.' Rove, 33, has cut a lonely figure since the tragic death of his wife Belinda, but he has been trying to get on with things without her. 'I'm out there, having fun and living life as best I can,' admits the extremely private star, who was in top form when he hosted the ARIA awards in Sydney.

Close friends say Belinda had encouraged Rove to move on with his life - and she wanted nothing more than for him to find love again.

'Belinda worried more about Rove than she did about herself,' one friend reveals. 'She would be thrilled to know that he is happy again.' But it hasn't been easy. Rove took a five-month sabbatical from his TV career after losing Belinda to cancer last November. He admitted at the time that he didn't know if he would ever be able to resume his career.

But friends say Rove is finally ready to move forward into a new phase of his life, both personally and professionally. And it's partly thanks to exotic-looking beauty Tasma, who's taking a central role in his life away from the camera and his legion of fans.

Tasma was spotted running errands in the silver RAV4 Belinda drove. She and Rove have been working out together at an exclusive gym in Melbourne and friends say Rove is looking happier and healthier than he has in a long time.

There is no doubting that Rove appears to be happy again, despite the terrible loss. But it's not only because of Tasma. His career is also going from strength to strength, both in Australia and in the US. His show continues to rate impressively after its move from Tuesday nights to its Sunday night timeslot on Network Ten. And he only recently returned from overseas, where he was looking at opportunities for his production company, Roving Enterprises, to enter the competitive US market.

Meanwhile, his new show Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? is winning him a whole new generation of fans. And although Tasma hasn't been a regular on our screens for the past couple of years, her acting agent Sue Barnett says it's because she has also been very busy making a movie in the States. 'She's also been spending a lot of time concentrating on her writing,' Sue says.

Rove and Tasma have a close bond - they both grew up in Western Australia, have been friends for a long time and worked together on Rove's early shows on the Nine Network before he switched to Ten.

Tasma originally worked in radio before abandoning plans to study law after being accepted into NIDA. She moved to Sydney where she won roles in Echo Point and Home and Away, the
same show Belinda starred in for several years. But Tasma's biggest break was when she landed the role of Constable Dash McKinley on the now-defunct Blue Heelers. She fast became one of the most popular Aussie stars. She won a Logie in 1997 for Most Popular New Talent for her Blue Heelers role, beating Home and Away star Belinda in the process.

Tasma left Blue Heelers after her character discovered she was suffering Hodgkin's disease, with Tasma famously shaving her head to show the ravages of chemotherapy. And her portrayal of the effects of the disease doesn't end there. Tasma garnered praise for her powerful portrayal of a daughter who is losing her mother to cancer in the drama Little Oberon.

Belinda had always hoped Rove would find love again and no doubt Rove's fans will be delighted he's finally found someone to help him heal his heart.

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