The Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner’s ex-girlfriend recalled their tumultuous relationship after his late wife, Toni, died in 2017.
While Gerry, 72, implied he hasn’t dated much since Toni suddenly died and even said he hasn’t kissed a woman in six years during his appearances on the show, his unidentified ex – who used the name Carolyn – revealed intimate details about their relationship.
Carolyn and Gerry were together for three years and started dating just one month after Toni’s death, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The pair – who met while they were both working at Vera French Mental Health Center in Davenport, Iowa – went on to date for 10 months before they moved in together for one year and nine months.
“When Carolyn and Gerry first started dating [in September 2017], my husband and I took them to an Iowa [Hawkeyes] football game,” Susan McCreary, a close friend of Carolyn’s, told THR about the early days of their romance. “I thought, ‘This guy’s legit. This guy’s a really good guy for her.’”
While Carolyn admitted she was “flabbergasted” to hear Gerry talk about his lack of a love life on the show, she admitted she tried to laugh off the situation because she viewed The Golden Bachelor as a way to positively portray senior citizens.
However, she grew bothered when she watched Gerry use the same lines and moves to pursue the women on the show that he did for her. For example, he told contestant Leslie Fhima during their fantasy suite date, “I have to have you with my morning coffee, I have to have you when I go to bed at night…”
The comment is similar to a text he previously sent Carolyn just three months after Toni’s death. “Damn, I go to bed at night thinking of you and wake up in the morning thinking of you,” the ABC personality texted Carolyn in September 2017, according to a message viewed by THR.
Carolyn explained she got to know Gerry when they worked together, though lost touch when he retired and moved to Hudson, Indiana, with Toni to live in their “dream” house.”
After Toni died from a sudden bacterial infection, Gerry reached out to Carolyn to ask her to help donate his late wife’s corporate clothes to Dress for Success. She said she was happy to help, and the task led to their romantic relationship.
“The idea that I’d go out with a recent widower just mortifies me,” she admitted. “I just really didn’t see it. Until I went back and looked at my text messages, I never realized Gerry’s texts had turned hot and heavy so relatively soon.”
Shortly after they reconnected, Gerry began sending Carolyn texts that implied he was ready to start a life with her. “I got LUCKY when you first said you would go to dinner with me two weeks ago. I mean how often does an old geezer get the beautiful girl?,” he wrote. Another message read, “You are the right woman for me. No need to look further.”
While Gerry allegedly asked Carolyn to move in with him early on, she waited nearly a year before she relocated to the house he and Toni bought for themselves.
Once Carolyn moved into his lake house in July 2018, she was shocked to learn about some of Gerry’s controlling tendencies. He allegedly told Carolyn that she would have to pay $1,000 a month to live in the home, though she was able to negotiate the cost down to $850. Gerry also only treated her to date nights on special occasions and asked Carolyn to pay him in advance so that he could cover their bills on his credit card when they went out to eat.
Their relationship hit its breaking point in October 2019 when Gerry told Carolyn he couldn’t take her to his high school reunion because she had gained 10 lbs. They eventually split, and Gerry told Carolyn she had to move out of the house by January 1, 2020.
The drama continued when Carolyn fell down the stairs while packing up her belongings and had to get foot surgery. Gerry allegedly accused her of using the fall as an excuse to stay at his house longer and wondered if she planned to sue him for causing the injury.
As Gerry helped Carolyn get to her car when she was leaving, she recalled him stating he “really wish this would’ve worked out.” They concluded the conversation by Gerry saying, “Call me when you get to your hotel, so I know you made it safe.”
Reps didn’t immediately respond to Life & Style‘s request for comment.
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