Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner.Photo:ABC/Brian Bowen Smith
ABC/Brian Bowen Smith
Dating can be challenging at any age — just askThe Golden Bachelor’sGerry Turner.
“I’ve dated a number of times since Toni’s passed, more recently than back closer to when she’s passed,” Turner, 72, previously told PEOPLE. “For one reason or another, the attempts didn’t work out. I could give you a wide range of reasons, but it doesn’t really matter.”
The retired restaurateur figured he’d be ready for a new relationship after one year of grieving the death of his high school sweetheart and tried dating at that point, but “every time I thought I was ready, I realized I wasn’t,” he said. “Somehow I got it in my head that if you grieve for a year, that at the end of the year you should be OK. It absolutely wasn’t the case.”
After about three years, Turner sought the help of a grief counselor.
“It was a difficult time,” he said. “I finally decided, ‘It’s time for me to go see a grief counselor,’ because I wasn’t sure I was on track. I wasn’t sure I was mending properly. It was probably a life changer for me because I remember having two sessions with the counselor, and he goes, ‘You’re fine. You just got to give yourself credit for being OK.’”'
Gerry Turner with Leslie Fhima on ‘The Golden Bachelor’.John Fleenor/Disney
John Fleenor/Disney
Eventually, Turner said he “became more optimistic about dating, and it helped,” even though it didn’t lead to any lasting relationships. The Illinois resident did, however, make a good friend out of his dating attempts.
Gerry Turner with Theresa Nist on ‘The Golden Bachelor’.ABC/Craig Sjodin
ABC/Craig Sjodin
Discouraged after putting himself back out there, Turner felt like he would never find love again.
“One failure led to another for a variety of reasons,” Turner said. “It was actually about three and a half or four years, I just finally realized that, ‘OK, I’m happy with myself. If I am going to be alone, I can deal with it.’”
Now on the eve of hisGolden Bachelorfinale, Turner has two women left to whom he might propose:Leslie Fhima and Theresa Nist.
While Turner can’t say exactly how his season ends, he teased it “worked out” for him.
“I headed towards the end, I was really in conflict about several of the women,” Turner shared. “As very specific events occurred, it really helped me gain clarity on what I wanted to do.”
When asked if he feels happy at this point in life, Turner simply said, “I am. Yes.”
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The Golden Bachelorfinale airs Thursday at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.
source: people.com
