The 71-year-old — who also appeared on The Bachelorette: Men Tell All special — also revealed his celebrity crush, addressed the topic of fantasy suites, and shared his advice for long-lasting love.
The upcoming and first-ever Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner is already stealing America’s hearts, and the show hasn’t even premiered yet.
In a teaser trailer, which aired on Monday’s The Bachelorette: The Men Tell All special, Turner opened up about his past relationship and what he’s looking for in his next love.
The 71-year-old star revealed that he was married to Toni, his high school sweetheart for 43 years before her passing. The couple shared two daughters and two granddaughters. However, shortly after Toni and Gerry bought their dream home together, Toni died after battling a bacterial infection that affected her liver and kidneys.
Gerry even cried during the emotional story, along with viewers.
ABC
Golden Bachelor Revealed: Meet 71-Year-Old Gerry Turner
View Story
On a more lighthearted note, the video also revealed that he “passed the STD test and the drug test for the show.” Good job, Gerry! Now, the thing he is most worried about is “remembering 25 names.”
As for who Turner named as his celebrity crush and potential new wife? Oscar winner Helen Mirren.
“Best case scenario is that I find out Helen Mirren’s on the market, and she’s really happy to be on The Golden Bachelor,” said Gerry.
Turner then came out on Men Tell All stage, where he reflected on his journey as the Golden Bachelor so far, and spoke about what people can expect from the new series, including his opinion on the prospect of fantasy suites.
“I would say yes,” said Turner. “But what they would look like might be a little different. That’s a long way down the journey, it’s a long way. And I think there’s a lot of steps that I and a potential partner would need to go through to get that, to make it a comfortable situation.”
The star also revealed that he’s not necessarily looking for what he had with Toni, his wife.
“What I look for at the age of 70 is different than what I looked for when I was in high school or college,” he said.
“So I believe I’ll find my person, the new person that will make me whole again. And I think we’ll knit a wonderful relationship, but I don’t think it’ll look like the relationship I had with Toni. And I don’t think it would be right to do it that way.”
Turner did, however, give some advice for those looking for a long-lasting relationship like his.
“Look at your spouse every day and tell them you love them. Because the day comes too soon for one of you that you can’t do that,” advised Gerry. “And I would give anything to be able to do that one more time.”
“Tell them that you love them every day. Give them that hug.”
Getty