ABC
Gerry Turner is the first Golden Bachelor!
“Good Morning America” announced the news on Monday, revealing he’s a 71-year-old widower and father of two.
Turner told the show, “It’s never too late to fall in love again.”
Gerry’s wife Toni, his high school sweetheart, passed away in 2017, less than two months after she retired. They were married for 43 years.
He shared, “She got robbed. Every day that goes by, that’s the thought I have.”
Gerry explained his daughters wanted him to sign up for “The Golden Bachelor,” and said he believes Toni would be “rooting” for him.
“I have her picture on a dresser in my closet,” he said. “Every morning I give her the nod, ‘So, what do you think about this?’ For a while, it was like I was having a hard time figuring out if she would be okay. But we always told each other when one of us goes, we want the other one to be happy.”
He continued, “She’s saying, ‘Yeah, Gerry, do this.’”
What is Turner looking for in a new partner?
“I’d love it if I found a partner who was high-energy, someone who’s fairly competitive, that they enjoy sports,” he said. “Someone that maybe plays pickleball, someone that maybe plays golf.”
ABC described Gerry in a press release as a “retired restaurateur and doting father and grandfather, Gerry [GAIR-ee] Turner lives in his dream house on a beautiful lake in Indiana. He’s often busy hosting barbecues, playing pickleball, cheering on his favorite Chicago sports teams, four-wheeling and spending time with friends and family at restaurants and local haunts.”
Meanwhile, ABC says the show is “one for the golden years,” adding, “One hopeless romantic is given a second chance at love in the search for a partner with whom to share the sunset years of life.”
The women vying for his heart will come with “a lifetime of experience,” having lived through “love, loss, and laughter.”
“The Golden Bachelor” premieres on ABC and Hulu in the fall.