'Gold Rush' Veteran Rick Ness Has a Girlfriend — Meet Leese Marie

Season 12 of Gold Rush captures the incredible efforts of the gold mining crews led by the likes of Rick Ness and Parker Schnabel. The new episodes of the hit series chart their frantic search for new ground and near-constant battle against the fast-growing competition.

A series regular since 2013, Milwaukee-born Rick garnered many fans thanks to his level-headed approach and unmatched work ethic. So, what's there to know about his love life? Does he have a girlfriend?

Rumors about Rick's supposed fling with his Gold Rush co-star, Karla Ann Charlton, have been making the rounds for quite some time now. It appears that Rick has now found his special someone — and, despite the considerable fan speculation, it's not Karla Ann.

Rick is dating a woman named Leese Marie (aka Leese M Arie).

As an exceptionally private person, Rick hardly ever talks about his love life in a public capacity. The same applies to the majority of his social media profiles, most of which he uses to promote the latest episodes of Gold Rush. On occasion, he shares adoring photographs of his dog, Rubi, on Instagram or Facebook.

He and Leese seem to be adamant about keeping a low profile — and they have yet to get into the habit of regularly updating fans about their latest dates on Instagram. They are keen Facebook users, however.

Leese is yet to share details about her age or occupation. Some believe that she is a proud Milwaukee native too.

Before finding fame with Gold Rush, Rick pursued a successful career as a musician and a member of The .357 String Band. For a while, he was playing gigs alongside guitarists Billy Cook and Derek W. Dunn, banjo player Joseph Huber, and others.

Labeled as a street grass band, The .357 String Band achieved considerable success in Wisconsin and beyond. Much to the disappointment of fans, however, the group disbanded in the early 2010s.

Before taking up a voracious interest in music, Rick was a driven football player. His dreams to become a football pro shattered once he suffered a head injury, however. Some believe Rick initially saw music as a form of escape.

The premature ending to his football career was far from the only tragedy Rick has had to confront over the years. The Gold Rush star lost his mother, Judy Marie Bedard, in 2018.

Details about Rick's relationship with Jen are hard to come by. The couple broke up quite some time ago, and Jen has not appeared on Gold Rush.

Catch new episodes of Gold Rush every Friday at 8 p.m. ET on Discovery Channel.