Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner Opens Up About Finding 'Eternal Happiness' with His Second True Love

The highly anticipated Golden Bachelor has arrived, and Gerry Turner is fully prepared.

In the premiere on Thursday, September 28, the 72-year-old protagonist candidly discussed his late wife, Toni, and why he believes the present is the perfect moment for him to seek love once more.

Gerry expressed on the ABC show his hopeful wish to find a second genuine love in his lifetime. He fondly recalled his wonderful and incredible first love, with whom he made plans for retirement and dreamed of their perfect house. Sadly, Toni, his high school sweetheart whom he married in 1972, passed away in 2017.

ABC/Brian Bowen Smith

After weeks of worsening health, her condition took a turn for the worse. On July 7th, I made the decision to take Toni to the emergency room. Unfortunately, she never returned home. Tragically, she passed away on July 15th. Now, my heart longs for another opportunity to experience the joy of love once more.

While Gerry’s journey just kicked off, he told We that he was surprised when he started to develop “strong feelings for several of the women.”

ABC/Craig Sjodin

Looking back, I came to the realization that in that specific moment, whatever it may have been, the circumstances were favorable for expressing love to someone. However, upon reflection, it became apparent that there is only one individual who consistently meets the criteria of how love should be in any situation," he expressed.

Catch The Golden Bachelor on ABC every Thursday at 8 p.m. ET. To get a summary of week 1, view the video above.