diff --git a/xds/internal/client/client.go b/xds/internal/client/client.go
index 2daceede5398..7e86f396a3a4 100644
--- a/xds/internal/client/client.go
+++ b/xds/internal/client/client.go
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ import (
 	"context"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
+	"regexp"
 	"sync"
 	"time"
 
@@ -271,7 +272,9 @@ type VirtualHost struct {
 // Route is both a specification of how to match a request as well as an
 // indication of the action to take upon match.
 type Route struct {
-	Path, Prefix, Regex *string
+	Path   *string
+	Prefix *string
+	Regex  *regexp.Regexp
 	// Indicates if prefix/path matching should be case insensitive. The default
 	// is false (case sensitive).
 	CaseInsensitive bool
@@ -304,14 +307,14 @@ type WeightedCluster struct {
 
 // HeaderMatcher represents header matchers.
 type HeaderMatcher struct {
-	Name         string      `json:"name"`
-	InvertMatch  *bool       `json:"invertMatch,omitempty"`
-	ExactMatch   *string     `json:"exactMatch,omitempty"`
-	RegexMatch   *string     `json:"regexMatch,omitempty"`
-	PrefixMatch  *string     `json:"prefixMatch,omitempty"`
-	SuffixMatch  *string     `json:"suffixMatch,omitempty"`
-	RangeMatch   *Int64Range `json:"rangeMatch,omitempty"`
-	PresentMatch *bool       `json:"presentMatch,omitempty"`
+	Name         string         `json:"name"`
+	InvertMatch  *bool          `json:"invertMatch,omitempty"`
+	ExactMatch   *string        `json:"exactMatch,omitempty"`
+	RegexMatch   *regexp.Regexp `json:"regexMatch,omitempty"`
+	PrefixMatch  *string        `json:"prefixMatch,omitempty"`
+	SuffixMatch  *string        `json:"suffixMatch,omitempty"`
+	RangeMatch   *Int64Range    `json:"rangeMatch,omitempty"`
+	PresentMatch *bool          `json:"presentMatch,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // Int64Range is a range for header range match.
diff --git a/xds/internal/client/xds.go b/xds/internal/client/xds.go
index 43e1908cd958..55bcc2e936ca 100644
--- a/xds/internal/client/xds.go
+++ b/xds/internal/client/xds.go
@@ -439,11 +439,11 @@ func routesProtoToSlice(routes []*v3routepb.Route, logger *grpclog.PrefixLogger,
 			route.Path = &pt.Path
 		case *v3routepb.RouteMatch_SafeRegex:
 			regex := pt.SafeRegex.GetRegex()
-			_, err := regexp.Compile(regex)
+			re, err := regexp.Compile(regex)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, fmt.Errorf("route %+v contains an invalid regex %q", r, regex)
 			}
-			route.Regex = &regex
+			route.Regex = re
 		default:
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("route %+v has an unrecognized path specifier: %+v", r, pt)
 		}
@@ -459,11 +459,11 @@ func routesProtoToSlice(routes []*v3routepb.Route, logger *grpclog.PrefixLogger,
 				header.ExactMatch = &ht.ExactMatch
 			case *v3routepb.HeaderMatcher_SafeRegexMatch:
 				regex := ht.SafeRegexMatch.GetRegex()
-				_, err := regexp.Compile(regex)
+				re, err := regexp.Compile(regex)
 				if err != nil {
 					return nil, fmt.Errorf("route %+v contains an invalid regex %q", r, regex)
 				}
-				header.RegexMatch = &regex
+				header.RegexMatch = re
 			case *v3routepb.HeaderMatcher_RangeMatch:
 				header.RangeMatch = &Int64Range{
 					Start: ht.RangeMatch.Start,
diff --git a/xds/internal/resolver/matcher.go b/xds/internal/resolver/matcher.go
index b7b5f3db0e3e..06456a585573 100644
--- a/xds/internal/resolver/matcher.go
+++ b/xds/internal/resolver/matcher.go
@@ -20,7 +20,6 @@ package resolver
 
 import (
 	"fmt"
-	"regexp"
 	"strings"
 
 	"google.golang.org/grpc/internal/grpcrand"
@@ -34,11 +33,7 @@ func routeToMatcher(r *xdsclient.Route) (*compositeMatcher, error) {
 	var pathMatcher pathMatcherInterface
 	switch {
 	case r.Regex != nil:
-		re, err := regexp.Compile(*r.Regex)
-		if err != nil {
-			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to compile regex %q", *r.Regex)
-		}
-		pathMatcher = newPathRegexMatcher(re)
+		pathMatcher = newPathRegexMatcher(r.Regex)
 	case r.Path != nil:
 		pathMatcher = newPathExactMatcher(*r.Path, r.CaseInsensitive)
 	case r.Prefix != nil:
@@ -53,12 +48,8 @@ func routeToMatcher(r *xdsclient.Route) (*compositeMatcher, error) {
 		switch {
 		case h.ExactMatch != nil && *h.ExactMatch != "":
 			matcherT = newHeaderExactMatcher(h.Name, *h.ExactMatch)
-		case h.RegexMatch != nil && *h.RegexMatch != "":
-			re, err := regexp.Compile(*h.RegexMatch)
-			if err != nil {
-				return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to compile regex %q, skipping this matcher", *h.RegexMatch)
-			}
-			matcherT = newHeaderRegexMatcher(h.Name, re)
+		case h.RegexMatch != nil:
+			matcherT = newHeaderRegexMatcher(h.Name, h.RegexMatch)
 		case h.PrefixMatch != nil && *h.PrefixMatch != "":
 			matcherT = newHeaderPrefixMatcher(h.Name, *h.PrefixMatch)
 		case h.SuffixMatch != nil && *h.SuffixMatch != "":