ABC Reveals First Look at 'Golden Bachelor' Gerry Turner, 71

By Anna Rumer

The Golden Bachelor has its leading man – and he's looking for a second shot at love. The Bachelor's latest spinoff announced Monday that Gerry Turner will be its first-ever Golden Bachelor star. The 71-year-old father of two encouraged audiences never to give up on love during his Good Morning America introduction.

"It's never too late to fall in love again," said the retired restaurateur. "Don't give up, there's always possibilities." Turner's first marriage is a bit of a tragic love story. In 1974, he married his high school sweetheart, Toni, and the two would go on to welcome daughters Angie and Jenny and become grandparents to granddaughters Charlee and Payton. Then in 2017, Toni became ill and died just six weeks into her retirement, leaving Turner a widower after 43 years.

"She got robbed. Every day that goes by, that's the thought that I have," Turner said on GMA. "I have her picture on a dresser in my closet. Every morning I give her a 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 to be happy. She's up there rooting [for me]. She's saying, 'Yeah, Gerry. Do this.'"

It was Turner's daughters who suggested he sign up for the show, and he ultimately agreed because he had "nothing to lose." When it comes to a potential partner on The Golden Bachelor, Turner said, "I'd love it if I found a partner who is high energy. Someone who was high-energy. Someone who maybe plays pickleball; someone who maybe plays golf." As for getting married again, Turner isn't counting the possibility out, saying, "I wouldn't discount it."

ABC announced in May that The Golden Bachelor will premiere this fall, as will Season 9 of Bachelor in Paradise. "After more than 20 years of fostering young love on The Bachelor, The Bachelorette and Bachelor in Paradise, The Golden Bachelor showcases a whole new kind of love story – one for the golden years," the network said in a statement at the time. "On this all-new unscripted series, 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 arriving at the mansion have a lifetime of experience, living through love, loss and laughter, hoping for a spark that ignites a future full of endless possibilities." The Bachelorette, starring Charity Lawson, is currently airing Mondays on ABC.

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