It turns out that Gerry Turner, the swooning 72-year-old ABC star “The Golden Bachelor” isn’t as “golden” as fans have been led to believe.
Ahead of the show’s finale on Thursday, The Hollywood Reporter published a deep dive into Turner’s past, revealing inconsistencies regarding his career and romantic relationships that allegedly took place shortly after his wife’s death. The self-description “desperately romantic” quickly garnered audience sympathy during the series’ first episode, when he tearfully spoke about Toni, his wife of 43 years, who died of an infection just a month after the couple moved into the nursing home of their dreams on Big Long Lake in Hudson, Indiana.
Much of Turner’s story centered around the fact that Turner loved his wife both deeply and passionately – so much so that he said he was unable to be ready for a new relationship a year after the death. from his wife in 2017. “I mean, I haven’t dated anyone in 45 years,” he said. Entertainment tonight.
The ladies competing for Turner’s heart on the show fell in love with him quickly – and so did the viewers. Turner’s past and personality seemed too good to be true. And although many have hailed him as the ultimate “perfect man,” recent revelations suggest otherwise.
According to the report, Turner had a three-year relationship with an undisclosed woman (The Hollywood Reporter calls her “Carolyn”) just a month after his wife’s death. Carolyn (who asked not to be named to protect her privacy) is 14 years younger than him and worked as an accountant at the Vera French Mental Health Center, where Turner was once employed as a maintenance worker. They reportedly dated for 10 months, then lived together for a year and nine months. A friend named Susan was shocked when Turner claimed on the show that he hadn’t been kissed in six years: “And I’m like, what? He must know that people are paying attention to this show. I’m just stunned.
Although Carolyn initially remained tight-lipped about her past relationship with Turner, she decided to come forward with her story after seeing Turner pull similar shenanigans with the Bachelors on live television.
“The idea that I would date a recent widower mortifies me,” Carolyn told THR. “I really didn’t see it. Until I went back and looked at my text messages, I never realized that Gerry’s texts had gotten hot and heavy so relatively early.
In one exchange, Turner texted: “I was LUCKY when you first said you would go to dinner with me two weeks ago. I mean, how often does an old guy get the hot girl? He later wrote to Carolyn: “You are the woman for me. No need to look any further.”
On September 2, 2017, less than three months after Toni’s death, Turner texted Carolyn: “Damn, I go to bed at night thinking about you and wake up in the morning thinking about you.”
Those who watch “The Golden Bachelor” may recognize this famous phrase. Turner recently said something similar to Leslie Fhima, the Minneapolis-based fitness instructor who became one of Gerry’s two finalists: “I have to have you with my morning coffee, I have to have you when I go to bed at night,” she said in Costa Rica.
At the height of Carolyn and Turner’s relationship, the topic of marriage came up and she even changed jobs to be closer to him. However, things took a turn for the worse soon after. In October 2019, Carolyn claims Turner shamed her for gaining 10 pounds. After the breakup, Carolyn said she was injured falling down the stairs and Turner accused her of using her injury to prolong her stay at his house. He eventually kicked her out, forcing her to check into a hotel.
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Turner’s dating history didn’t just include Carolyn, according to Heather Lanning-Adams, a waitress at the Shady Nook, a bar and restaurant located next to Turner’s lake house who spoke to the American Sun.
“He dated a few women. They weren’t all long term, but they…. …were not short-term either,” Lanning-Adams said.
Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter found additional inconsistencies in his employment history. The show describes Turner as a “retired restaurateur,” but that’s far from the truth.
A quick scan of his LinkedIn revealed that Turner last owned a restaurant in 1985, when he sold his Mr. Quick hamburger franchise in Iowa. He then held several sales and management positions in the meat industry with indefinite timelines.
Turner’s claim that he retired at age 55 also doesn’t add up. He held several “post-retirement” positions, including hot tub installer at Gannon Pools near Davenport, Iowa, and maintenance worker at the Vera French Mental Health Center.
The big bombshells couldn’t have come at a better time as Turner prepares to propose to one of his eager ladies. As for whether the finale will promise even more drama than expected. . . Only time will tell.
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