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The first season of The Golden Bachelorette<\/em> can\u2019t come soon enough! First-look photos of season 1 star Joan Vassos<\/strong> have been released, and the 61-year-old reality TV personality is embracing a vital life lesson: \u201cLove never ages.\u201d<\/p>\n In the first poster from the season, Joan holds up a golden rose while looking off camera, as multiple gold petals fall around her. In the accompanying shot, the ABC star looks directly into the camera while holding her golden rose in one hand.<\/p>\n Viewers were first introduced to Joan during Gerry Turner<\/strong><\/a>\u2018s stint on The Golden Bachelor<\/em>. She had to leave the show because her daughter had just given birth, and Joan wanted to be there for her. ABC eventually announced that she was selected to be the lead on The Golden Bachelorette.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n During an interview with Entertainment Tonight<\/em>, Joan admitted that she \u201cso thought that [she] was gonna be that girl who left that nobody remembers.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI truly believed that was gonna be the outcome,\u201d she told the outlet in June. \u201cI really was sad about that, honestly, because I loved being here. I think the process worked. I was sad when I had to leave, so having the opportunity to come back and [having] people actually remember me a little bit [is amazing].\u201d<\/p>\n As for how the journey is for her, Joan pointed out that it\u2019s a \u201cquick\u201d one and said, \u201cYou can\u2019t leave anything on the table.\u201d<\/p>\n When it comes to her current relationship with Gerry, 72, Joan noted that the two former co-stars \u201ctext all the time,\u201d calling him a \u201cvery, very good friend.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHe kind of created the road map that we have now,\u201d Joan added about Gerry. \u201cThere\u2019s no rulebook, and he kind of wrote it a little bit. He exemplified somebody who is very open and vulnerable. He said that\u2019s what you need to be from day one, because you don\u2019t have a lot of time.\u201d<\/p>\n Like Gerry, Joan lost her spouse. Her late husband died at the age of 59 from pancreatic cancer. Joan shares four children with him, and they were married for more than 30 years before his death.<\/p>\n For his part, Gerry found happiness with Theresa Nist<\/strong><\/a> on The Golden Bachelor<\/em>, but their love story didn\u2019t last forever. After they tied the knot in January, they announced their split<\/a> less than four months later.<\/p>\n![\"THE](\"https:\/\/hollywoodlife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/172607_0001A.jpg?quality=100&w=819\")
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