Gerry Turner is reflecting on how his relationship with his new girlfriend compares to a romance he had on The Golden Bachelor.
The reality star, 73, speaks about his mystery woman and the strong feelings he’s developed since they first met during the Tuesday, April 15, episode of the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast.
“I hate to say it because I knew I’m going to get baseballs thrown at me. It was almost the first time I saw her,” he said of when he knew the relationship would get more serious. “It was the look that she gave me. It was like, all of a sudden, I was consumed by this look, and I had this physical feeling, and I pushed it off. I go, ‘That was silly, that’s ridiculous.’ And with every encounter, that feeling has instantly come back to her look and it’s like, ‘Damn, this is pretty awesome.’”
Cohost Joe Amabile then asked if Gerry had experienced the same connection with any of the 22 women he dated on The Golden Bachelor, which aired on ABC in 2023.
The retired restaurateur responded, “I think the closest to that was when Faith [Martin] played the guitar and sang to me on, I think it was the first night she got the first impression rose.”
Gerry continued, “That would be the closest to it. … The whole love at first sight thing, I have never been in on that. And all of a sudden, here I am, I really feel like I’m experiencing that.”
Faith, 62, was the lucky recipient of Gerry’s only first impression rose during the premiere of his season of The Golden Bachelor after she rode in to meet him on a motorcycle and serenaded him with a guitar. While those gestures were certainly impressive to the former lead, he later told Faith that he chose her as the recipient for another reason.
“I want you to know you made this impression not because you rode in on a motorcycle, not even because you have a beautiful voice and sang a song to me, but because of what you are doing right now, you are making me feel very special,” he said.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Gerry explained, “Of course, her entrance on a motorcycle stood out. Later, when I met her for a brief conversation, her singing really stood out. But I think the reason she got that first impression rose was the look in those soft brown eyes. That was really pretty wonderful.”
Despite their instant connection, Gerry ultimately sent Faith home and proposed to Theresa Nist in the finale, later tying the knot with the New Jersey native in a televised “Golden Wedding” special in January 2024. However, Gerry and Theresa, 71, announced their plans to divorce three months later. The split was finalized in June 2024.
Gerry confirmed his new relationship on Tuesday’s podcast episode, telling his cohost that he didn’t want to “say too much and jinx it.”
“And I’m trying to respectfully get to a point where there’s an acceptable amount of time from my divorce. Maybe that’s an old-fashioned thought, you know, maybe it doesn’t matter as much as I think it does, but to be respectful, I kind of want to slow roll this,” he added.
