The Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner offered Joan Vassos some advice as she began her journey as the first-ever lead of The Golden Bachelorette. Joan, a 61-year-old private school administrator from Rockville, Maryland, met Gerry, a 72-year-old retired restaurateur from Hudson, Indiana during his Golden Bachelor season. Joan and Gerry were developing a strong connection, but she had to leave the show early to return home to her daughter, who was experiencing postpartum depression.
Joan and Gerry shared a heartbreaking goodbye, as they wondered what could have been. During The Golden Bachelor "Women Tell All," episode Joan even confessed that, after she left the show, she thought that she might find Gerry on her front porch when she came home from work. She even almost returned to the show, but she couldn't leave her daughter. Now, Joan is thrilled to continue her journey to find love on The Golden Bachelorette season 1. As Joan begins filming, Gerry has some advice based on his experiences as the Golden Bachelor.
Gerry Turner Told Joan Vassos To ‘Relax, Breathe & Enjoy’ The Golden Bachelorette
Gerry Thinks That Joan Will Be 'Phenomenal' In The Role
When Joan was announced as The Golden Bachelorette, Gerry posted a message on Instagram to wish her well. He wrote, "Dear Joan, Congratulations on being named the first ever Golden Bachelorette. You will be phenomenal as the new representative of a generation." Gerry concluded the message with some valuable advice: "From one Golden to another....Relax, breathe and enjoy. Gerry."
Joan responded to Gerry's message in the comments section of his post, thanking him for his encouraging words. She also told him that she's open to his advice. Joan wrote, "What a beautiful message from my fellow golden. You have taught me so much about being open and vulnerable and how looking for love at this age can be dignified and fun. Thank you my friend for setting the stage for the rest of us Goldens…and I’m open to advice!!! XO."
Gerry Advised Joan To Be ‘Open & Vulnerable’ From Day 1
Joan & Gerry Text 'All The Time'
In an ET interview, Joan shared even more advice from Gerry ahead of her Golden Bachelorette journey. She revealed, "We text all the time. He's a very, very good friend." Despite the fact that Gerry is now divorced from Theresa Nist, the 70-year-old financial services professional from Shrewsbury, New Jersey, to whom he got engaged at the end of The Golden Bachelor, Joan praised Gerry for blazing the "Golden" trail." She said, "He did this so well. He kind of created the road map that we have now. There's no rulebook, and he kind of wrote it a little bit."
Joan added that Gerry promoted being open from the very start of the show. She explained, "He exemplified somebody who is very open and vulnerable. He said that's what you need to be from day one, because you don't have a lot of time." Both Gerry and Joan recognized the fast timeline of the Golden Bachelorette. Joan added, "This is a quick journey. You can't leave anything on the table. I feel like day one, starting conversation one, everything you do here is important."
Joan and Gerry were very vulnerable with each other and formed a deep connection in a short time, which is why her Golden Bachelor exit was so heartbreaking. However, Joan seems to have taken the positive from the situation, and will now apply it to her own Golden Bachelorette journey. Gerry helped Joan to open the door to finding love again after her husband, John, passed away due to pancreatic cancer in January 2021. They were married for 32 years and had four children.
Although Gerry's Golden Bachelor journey ended with his divorce from Theresa after the Golden Wedding, their breakup doesn't ruin the hope that Gerry and Theresa gave people that they could find love at any age. While Gerry's relationship ultimately failed, this makes him even more qualified to give Joan advice because she can learn from his mistakes. Gerry's advice to be open and vulnerable is so important. Hopefully, Joan will use Gerry's advice to help her find her happily-ever-after.
