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After a long wait, “The Bachelor” fans finally know that the first lead for the senior spinoff will be a man named Gerry Turner. “The Golden Bachelor” is slated to debut in the fall, and ABC made the official announcement regarding Turner’s involvement on July 17. He did a short segment on “Good Morning America” to give everybody a sense of who he is, and many fans seem quite excited to see how his upcoming journey to find love again plays out.
Here’s what you need to know:
Gerry Turner Married His High School Sweetheart
During the “Good Morning America” segment, it was revealed that Turner originally married his high school sweetheart. The couple spent 43 years together, but she died in 2017. Less than two months after she had retired, she became ill. Turner says his wife, “got robbed” by becoming ill and subsequently dying so soon after her retirement. “The Golden Bachelor” star revealed he still has a photo of his late wife on his dresser that is in his closet.
Turner initially was not sure what his late wife would think of his decision to do “The Golden Bachelor.” However, he explained, “We always told each other, when one of us goes, we want the other one to be happy.” He added, “She’s up there rooting, she’s saying, ‘Yeah Gerry, do this.'”
Bachelor Nation quickly started swooning over Turner.
One fan commented on the YouTube clip of Turner’s introduction by sharing, “This guy looks great for 71 and seems like a really decent guy – seems sincere and ready for love again. Good choice by the Bachelor franchise… won’t be hard for him to find the right one!”
“Considering I already teared up in the preview, it’s gonna be a good season,” added another.
An Instagram user gushed, “I just cried hearing his story omg. Even though I’m no where near 70 I’m def gonna be watching. Oh & he’s handsome toooo!”
‘The Golden Bachelor’ Has the Full Support of His Daughters
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ABC“The Golden Bachelor” Gerry Turner poses with his daughters and granddaughters.
It turns out, Turner did not come up with the idea to pursue “The Golden Bachelor” himself. Rather, his two grown daughters with his late wife texted him and encouraged him to look into it. He decided he had “nothing to lose” and recalled his daughters celebrating when he found out he had been chosen.
A clip of the moment host Jesse Palmer gave Turner the news was included in the “GMA” segment, and one of his daughters declared, “One of those 25 ladies will be super lucky, Jesse Palmer, like ‘Yes, I’m yours.'” Turner seems quite open to getting married again, and “The Golden Bachelor” star shared he hopes to find someone “high energy.” He also admitted it’d be a big plus if she golfs and plays Pickleball.
The gushing over Turner carried over to “The Bachelor” subreddit too. Franchise fans seem collectively impressed and amazed by how great Turner looks at the age of 71, and some people who normally skip watching the original “Bachelor” series seem eager to tune in to watch “The Golden Bachelor.”
“I love this! He’s adorable and I hope he finds love again after losing his beloved wife,” a Redditor declared.
“Yes. Yes. Yes. So much YES. I’m so ready to watch this season. I stopped watching halfway through Matt James’ season and haven’t returned to watch any bachelor or bachelorette seasons since. I’m so excited for this,” added another excited supporter.
“I can’t even lie I teared up a little bit when he talked about his wife. My cold cynical heart is ready for some true earnest reality tv,” admitted someone else.
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