Joan Vassos Reacts to Gerry Turner & Theresa Nist’s Divorce and Shares She Won’t Move for a Man

Getting candid.

This week Joan Vassos was announced as the first ever Golden Bachelorette and she couldn’t be more excited for another shot at looking for love.

Joan sat down for an exclusive interview with CNN, where she opened up about her journey, Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist’s divorce, and more.

As fans know, Gerry and Theresa ran into issues with distance in their relationship, and Joan revealed to the outlet that she has no plans to move for someone.

She said, “That was actually the first question that Gerry asked me. We sat down for the first time together and he said, ‘You live in Maryland, I live in Indiana. How do you see something like this working?’ My answer to him was — and it still is my answer — I think you almost have to live a dual life. I’ll never leave my family. They are the most important people in the world to me, obviously.”

The Golden Bachelorette continued, “I would expect that to be the same for the person that I end up with because family is so important to me. That would have to be a key part of their personality. You have to be willing to… travel and be with that person and maybe spend a couple of months or a couple of weeks at a time… and then maybe eventually, you figure out a destination that would work for you and your families or have another house where everybody gets together.”

And as for Gerry and Theresa’s split, Joan shared how she feels about the two going their separate ways.

She got candid, saying, “I was surprised. I loved watching their journey. I saw them fall in love. I believed, just like they did, that they were the perfect couple. I applaud that they jumped into this process with both feet ready to find love. They knew what true love was; they both had it in their previous lives, so I applaud them for doing that.”

She went on, “And I also applaud that when they discovered it wasn’t perfect, that they called it quits. It’s not the end of the world, and we have to let them live their journey and follow their hearts. It wasn’t right for them, so they split up.”

Joan is hoping her love story ends happily, but said she isn’t rushing into marriage even if she finds her person.

The 61-year-old shared, “If it ends up in engagement, I’m open to that. I do believe this process works. I’ve seen it work for so many couples on ‘The Bachelor,’ so I believe in the process. If it ends up in engagement, that’s great. If it ends up in, you and I are going to get to know each other better in the outside world, that’s perfect also. I probably won’t rush into a marriage right away — and not only because of what happened with Gerry and Theresa. I think it takes some time to really get to know somebody. Out in the wild, in the real world, you need to spend some time there.”

We can’t wait to see Joan’s journey to find love unfold this fall!