I’ve been wondering how they would handle this. So has The Golden Bachelor himself. Ahead of the premiere of Season 1, star Gerry Turner is revealing how his overnight dates might look. After all, this man has children and grandchildren. They don’t want to see Grandpa getting frisky in the Fantasy Suites.
“I just think that a Fantasy Suite for someone of my age may look quite different,” Gerry says. Ya think? “The activities could be quite different than for someone in their 20s and 30s.” I should hope so. At his age (72), he should be having dinner at 4:30 and be in bed by 10:00. (I know this because I’m getting older myself and my hubby is even older than me. So this is experience talking, not ageism.)
While Gerry is claiming that potential Fantasy Suite activities “really don’t” make him nervous, his daughters are definitely apprehensive. “My daughters [are] a lot more nervous than me,” he laughs. Gerry has two daughters, Angie and Jenny, with his late wife Toni, as well as two granddaughters, Charlee and Payton. ET has all the details.
Gerry’s kids lay down the law
As we all know, Fantasy Suites take place when the lead narrows the pack down to the final three. But other signs of affection, including kissing, can happen on night one.
Gerry’s two daughters quickly put the kibosh on that. “They said absolutely none of that. They said don’t do it,” Gerry laughed, before noting that he’s “been ignoring that part of the advice.” Good to know that he doesn’t let his daughters dictate his behavior. The lucky lady he chooses at the end will appreciate that.
Kidding aside, Gerry admits that his girls have “given good advice,” as he was preparing for his journey to find love again. “They said pick your moments,” he says. “Enjoy every minute you can … They are very much fans of the show [and] got me started watching it. They were the ones that motivated me to respond early on to the casting call.”
Never too late for love
But what would his late wife think about all this? “She would be thrilled for [me],” he says. “We talked frequently, as time went on … about what we expected for the other, if one of us didn’t live forward … we both wanted the other to be happy.”
Gerry was married to Toni, his high school sweetheart, and they had 43 years together. “She would be very encouraging,” he believes.
The retired restauranteur knows what he’s looking for in a partner. Gerry hopes she will have “a great sense of humor, particularly something that is self-effacing.”
“I think I’m going to be looking for someone who’s sensitive, who’s warm and kind,” he adds. “Someone who blends with me well, so that we feel a partnership … I felt it before in my life, and it’s a very important factor.”
The Golden Bachelor premieres this fall on ABC.
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