And the rose goes to! Gerry Turner, 71, announced as The Golden Bachelor for new dating series aimed at older contestants finding love

Gerry Turner, 71, has been announced as the first senior lead for The Golden Bachelor.

He was named the Bachelor on Monday during Good Morning America by the show’s host, Jesse Palmer.

Gerry is a widow; his wife (and high school sweetheart) Toni died in 2017.

‘It feels amazing and it’s still sinking in,’ he said during the morning show, via Us Weekly. 

Gerry revealed he is looking to find a partner who is ‘high-energy.’ 

Star: He was named the Bachelor on Monday during Good Morning America by the show’s host, Jesse Palmer 

The Golden Bachelor is set to debut in September on Mondays.

On his late wife, Gerry said: ‘I have her picture on a dresser in my closet… For a while, it was like I was having a hard time figuring out if she would be OK [with me moving on].’ 

‘But we always told each other, when one of us goes we’d want the other one to be happy. She’s up there rooting [for me].’

He joked that his daughters ‘started screaming’ when Jesse called him and gave him the good news he was chosen as the first Golden Bachelor.

In the show, the rose he gives out to the women who catch his eye or he makes a connection with is a golden hue – in contrast to a fresh red rose on the regular Bachelor series. 

‘There is an interesting thing about people who have hit the other end of the spectrum 

The Golden Bachelor was confirmed by ABC in May, describing the show as a ‘whole new kind of love story.’

‘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.’

‘In the end, will our Golden man turn the page to start a new chapter with the woman of his dreams?’ the network asked in the press release. 

‘There is an interesting thing about people who have hit the other end of spectrum, who’ve lived their lives, they’ve raised their kids, some have been widowed or divorced and maybe some have been in love,’ Rob Mills of ABC network said at the time, via Us Weekly.

‘We thought that would be an interesting dynamic through the Bachelor prism,’ he added. 

Glittering: In the show, the rose he gives out to the women who catch his eye or he makes a connection with is a golden hue – in contrast to a fresh red rose on the regular Bachelor series

Rose for you! ‘We thought that would be an interesting dynamic through the Bachelor prism,’ he added

Coming soon: Gerry is a widow; his wife (and high school sweetheart) Toni died in 2017

In early 2020, casting went out for the show during season 24 of The Bachelor, which was Peter Weber’s season. 

The series originally was supposed to film in 2020 but was delayed due to Covid-19 pandemic.

The Bachelor franchise debuted in 2002, with the Bachelorette debuting in 2003.