Entertainment

Who Is Katherine Schwarzenegger? 22 Things to Know About Chris Pratt's Fiancée

EntertainmentPublished Jan 18, 2019
By Samantha Sutton
Katherine Schwarzenegger photokatherineschwarzenegger/Instagram

Sure, we've been surprised by celebrity engagements before -- heck, sometimes it takes us literal months to discover a couple secretly said "I do," and don't even get us started on those who quietly welcomed kids -- but we were still slightly stunned when Chris Pratt revealed he had popped the question to Katherine Schwarzenegger. When the two first stepped out together over the summer, we were, admittedly, still getting over the Jurassic World star's split from his ex wife, actress Anna Faris (they share a son, Jack). And now, less than a year after Chris and Katherine were first photographed having a picnic, they're getting ready to say "I do."

(Like we said: Surprising.)
But alas, there are no time limits when it comes to love, and they say that when a person knows, he just knows. And it seems like Chris does, indeed, know. But do we? What information do we actually have about this kinda-mystery woman who stole Chris's heart -- other than the fact that her family is mega-famous, and her last name can be pretty tricky to spell?

Well, it turns out there was a whole lot to learn out there, thanks to that all-knowing Internet and a few interviews Katherine has given in the past. As it turns out, she hasn't exactly led a quiet life. She's a published author (three times over), an activist, and has a public Instagram account packed full of personal details. With a bit of digging, we were able to find out 22 facts about Kat as she’s sometimes called, and the woman is way more than just a pretty (like, really pretty) face.

It's about time we all get acquainted with the new Mrs-Pratt-to-be, who's so lovely, even exes approve.

1/22
Her Parents Are Famous-placeholder
Her Parents Are Famous
katherineschwarzenegger/Instagram

Her Parents Are Famous

Spoiler alert: Katherine's mom is journalist Maria Shriver. And yes, her dad is Arnold -- as in the bodybuilder, mega action star, and former governor of California.

2/22
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And So Is Her Brother, Patrick
patrickschwarzenegger/Instagram

And So Is Her Brother, Patrick

He's a model and actor who's appeared in movies like Midnight Sun with Bella Thorne, and Grown Ups 2. Our favorite credit of his, however, is when he was briefly Miley Cyrus's boyfriend from 2014 to 2015, during her split from Liam Hemsworth.

3/22
She's One of Four Kids-placeholder
She's One of Four Kids
katherineschwarzenegger/Instagram

She's One of Four Kids

Aside from Patrick, Katherine has another brother, Christopher, and a sister, Christina. She also has a half brother, Joseph, from her dad's affair with housekeeper Mildred Baena.

4/22
She's Part of the Kennedy Family-placeholder
She's Part of the Kennedy Family
katherineschwarzenegger/Instagram

She's Part of the Kennedy Family

Her grandmother from her mother's side was the late Eunice Kennedy Shriver, who was the sister of President John F. Kennedy.

5/22
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She Has the Same Birthday as Taylor Swift
katherineschwarzenegger/Instagram

She Has the Same Birthday as Taylor Swift

Katherine was born on December 13, 1989, the same exact day and year as the singer. Another connection? Taylor once dated Katherine's second cousin, Conor Kennedy.

6/22
... Which Makes Her 10 Years Chris Pratt's Junior-placeholder
... Which Makes Her 10 Years Chris Pratt's Junior
katherineschwarzenegger/Instagram

... Which Makes Her 10 Years Chris Pratt's Junior

That birthday makes Katherine 29 years old, while Chris -- who was born June 21, 1979 -- is 39. Just a slight age difference.

7/22
She Was Raised Out of the Spotlight-placeholder
She Was Raised Out of the Spotlight
katherineschwarzenegger/Instagram

She Was Raised Out of the Spotlight

Speaking to USA Today in 2010, Katherine revealed that, despite having a famous family, she had a normal childhood. "They were very protective of having us in the public eye when we were younger," she said. "We didn't go to Hollywood premieres. We practiced community service. We went to school and camp like normal kids."

8/22
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She's Been Working Since She Was a Teen
katherineschwarzenegger/Instagram

She's Been Working Since She Was a Teen

"I come from a family of really hardworking people who get really fired up, and just go after their passions," she explained to Galore in 2016. "I got my first job at 14, just because I wanted to be working." 

Aside from a great work ethic, Katherine seems to prefer being busy, adding that she loves "crazy schedules, lists, and planners."

9/22
She Went to USC-placeholder
She Went to USC
katherineschwarzenegger/Instagram

She Went to USC

Katherine graduated from the Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism at the University of Southern California in 2012. Her mom delivered a speech at the ceremony, where she opted to give her daughter a special shout out.

"Katherine, I'm in awe of you," Maria said, finding her daughter in the crowd. "I'm in awe of the woman you are, your grace and courage and strength. I'm so proud of all of you and what you've done to get here."

10/22
She Almost Changed Her Last Name-placeholder
She Almost Changed Her Last Name
katherineschwarzenegger/Instagram

She Almost Changed Her Last Name

With a last name like Schwarzenegger, it's pretty hard to fly under the radar, and long before Chris popped the question, Katherine said it was seriously cramping her dating life.

"I thought of changing it because, especially for dating, it's impossible," she revealed to Harper's Bazaar. "It's something I deal with every day, and I am hyperconscious about it. When I got to college, people -- much more guys than girls because girls don't give a crap about bodybuilding -- were coming up to me, and it would automatically jump to a conversation about my dad and weight lifting or how to do a proper bicep curl. It's like, 'Do you want to date my father, or do you want to date me? Like, I can arrange that for you.'"

11/22
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She's a Dog Person
katherineschwarzenegger/Instagram

She's a Dog Person

While the star doesn't have any human children, she does have a fur baby, Maverick, whom she rescued. She frequently shares photos of her pup on Instagram.

12/22
And Works With the ASPCA-placeholder
And Works With the ASPCA
katherineschwarzenegger/Instagram

And Works With the ASPCA

Her love for dogs and animals in general doesn't stop with her own. She's an ambassador for the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and regularly promotes animal adoption and volunteering with animals.

13/22

She Models

It's not her main gig, but Katherine has put her good looks on display, starring in campaigns for Atelier Pronovias and Sheryl Lowe Jewelry.

14/22

She's Been in a Wedding Dress Before

... for a photo shoot (womp-womp).

Did we mention that Atelier Pronovias is a wedding dress brand? Looks like she has some options for her big day!

15/22
She Has a Blog-placeholder
She Has a Blog
katherineschwarzenegger/Instagram

She Has a Blog

She writes about a variety of lifestyle categories -- from style, to food, to health, and even features interviews with other women.

Only time will tell if she'll start blogging some wedding-related content!

16/22
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She's an On-Air Contributor
katherineschwarzenegger/Instagram

She's an On-Air Contributor

According to her bio on her blog, Katherine "has appeared on The Today Show, as a guest co-host of The View and is a regular contributor to InStyle Magazine with her #AskKat videos."

She also worked as a special correspondent with Entertainment Tonight, and once interviewed Reese Witherspoon, Chris Pine and Tom Hardy when they were promoting the movie This Means War.

17/22
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She's Written Two Books For Young Adults
katherineschwarzenegger/Instagram

She's Written Two Books For Young Adults

In 2010, she came out with Rock What You've Got: Secrets to Loving Your Inner and Outer Beauty from Someone Who's Been There and Back. It focused on body image and finding confidence. She then released her second book in 2014, called I Just Graduated ... Now What?: Honest Answers from Those Who Have Been There. That one included pieces of career advice from stars such as John Legend, Serena Williams, and Andy Cohen.

18/22
And Also a Book for Kids-placeholder
And Also a Book for Kids
katherineschwarzenegger/Instagram

And Also a Book for Kids

Inspired by her own experience adopting Maverick, Katherine wrote the children's book Maverick and Me, which came out in 2017. According to the description, it focuses on an abandoned dog and the family that takes him in, and "introduces children to the concept of 'adopt, don't shop.'"

19/22
She's a Proud Godmother-placeholder
She's a Proud Godmother
katherineschwarzenegger/Instagram

She's a Proud Godmother

There are so many photos of Katherine holding babies on Instagram, that it's safe to say she no issues with kids -- she's even godmother to two of her friends' little boys! It's a good sign that she'll be a great stepmom to Chris Pratt's son, Jack, and would possibly interested in having her own baby -- or babies -- one day.

20/22
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She's Protective of Her Family
kschwarzenegger/Twitter

She's Protective of Her Family

Katherine is well-mannered and seems sweet ... until someone messes with her family. She publicly defended her brother a few years ago when folks accused him of cheating on Miley while on vacation, asking the Twitter user if they've "ever heard of spring break?!"

21/22
She's a Member of Hillsong Church-placeholder
She's a Member of Hillsong Church
katherineschwarzenegger/Instagram

She's a Member of Hillsong Church

Katherine and Chris have been spotted attending service together, and just as Chris has been open about his beliefs, Katherine has made it clear that her faith is important to her as well.

It's definitely something that binds the couple.

22/22
She Met Chris Through Her Mom-placeholder
She Met Chris Through Her Mom
katherineschwarzenegger/Instagram

She Met Chris Through Her Mom

Clearly mother knows best, because Katherine and Chris were set up by her mom, Maria. And the rest is history!

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