Gerry Turner's Dating Chronicles: Unveiling the Pre-'Golden Bachelor' Journey
Gerry Turner's journey to find love on 'The Golden Bachelor' reaches its climax as he prepares to choose between Leslie Fhima and Theresa Nist in the highly-anticipated finale on November 30th Don't miss out on the thrilling conclusion to Gerry's captivating dating history
Gerry Turner is gearing up for a future with the winner of season 1 of The Golden Bachelor, but there's been talk about his past relationships. ABC revealed in July that Gerry would be the first senior Bachelor, six years after his wife of 43 years, Toni, passed away in 2017. Gerry has mentioned that he has dated "a number of times" since his wife's passing.
Gerry told People that he had tried dating more recently after his wife passed away, but for various reasons, it didn't work out. He explained that although he could provide multiple reasons, it ultimately didn't matter. Gerry admitted that every time he thought he was ready to start dating again, he realized that he still wasn't.
Gerry Turner. RB/Bauer-Griffin/GC Images
Gerry mentioned that he once believed that grieving for a year would lead to feeling okay, but realized it wasn't the case. An anonymous woman, "Carolyn," revealed to The Hollywood Reporter that she dated Gerry for nearly three years, starting shortly after Toni's passing, contradicting his previous statement.
"I was horrified by the thought of dating a recent widower," she confessed to THR. "I never really saw it coming. It wasn't until I revisited our text messages that I realized Gerry's messages had become flirtatious and intense so quickly."
After supposedly living together since the summer of 2018, "Carolyn" stated that things changed when Gerry allegedly uninvited her to his high school reunion in November 2019. "I'm not taking you to the reunion looking like that," she claimed he said while allegedly gesturing to her body. The couple permanently split in early 2020. According to Gerry's interview with People, he sought the help of a grief counselor that same year as he struggled with getting back into the dating world.
"It was a challenging period, and I finally made the decision to seek help from a grief counselor because I wasn't sure if I was coping well. The counseling sessions were a turning point for me. After just two sessions, the counselor reassured me, saying, 'You're doing fine. You just need to give yourself credit for being okay,'" Gerry recalled.
Gerry and ABC have not commented publicly on the THR report. While the outlet suggested that fans believed Gerry never dated after Toni's death, Gerry previously mentioned on the "Bachelor Happy Hour" podcast in July that he had "dated a few women along the way" and had even kissed his neighbor. He has also shared additional dating experiences in the media, including trying online dating before his reality TV career began, as he told Esquire earlier this month.
"He explained that some experiences were positive while others were not. He had a rule known as '60 and 60,' meaning the person had to be over 60 years old and within 60 miles. However, he admitted to being catfished when he ignored his own rule," Gerry told Esquire.
A woman he met online was insistent that their meeting could work out, despite the 90-mile distance between them. When he finally made the drive one night, she looked significantly different in person than she did in her profile photo. She confessed that she had used her sister's picture, who was six years younger. He still took her out to dinner, but there was no second date.
"Carolyn" claimed that Gerry had said on the show that he had not kissed someone in six years, but upon rewatching the first two episodes, this remark was not heard. Gerry had previously stated that he had planned not to kiss on the first night, but ultimately failed.
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"My daughters and granddaughters were concerned that I would be the guy who would be kissing everyone on the first night," he shared with Us in September. "And I told them, 'No, I'm not going to kiss anyone on the first night. You won't see that. Maybe not even as we go further into it.' Well, as you'll see, I failed on the very first night, but I don't regret it at all."
While there have been conflicting reports about Gerry's past, his future will be unveiled on Thursday, November 30, as fans discover whether he chooses Leslie Fhima or Theresa Nist to receive his final rose.
