The Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner has addressed recent social media speculation that he's a recovering alcoholic.
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Rumors therefore began to swirl online that Gerry may have struggled with alcohol abuse and is sober now.
But Gerry put the speculation to rest when talking about how haters and trolls don't bother him during an interview with his local Indianapolis Star newspaper.
"I love finding the marginal negative, questionable comments. They are the best entertainment. I love it," Gerry shared.
"And the one I think I like the most is when on the show, I had a glass of orange juice. And they said, 'Oh, look, he's a recovering alcoholic.'"
Gerry, however, confirmed that he does, in fact, drink alcohol and viewers had spotted him enjoying a screwdriver drink early in his season.
"It's like, no, there's vodka in there," The Golden Bachelor star revealed.
Gerry apparently asked for a screwdriver on Night 1 because he couldn't have his favorite go-to alcoholic beverage, vodka and cranberry.
"The only reason [the drink] isn't my normal drink is because I had temporary caps on my teeth, and the dentist said you can't drink cranberry juice because it will stain those temporary caps," Gerry said.
The Golden Bachelor concluded, "So there's this stuff going on and somebody reads into it that I'm an alcoholic. It cracks me up. Those things are really funny."
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELORETTE' COUPLES NOW: WHOM DID 'THE BACHELORETTE' STARS AND THEIR BACHELOR PICKS ULTIMATELY END UP WITH?! (PHOTOS)
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While Gerry has to deal with some gossip, he told the newspaper that he's "happier today" than he was prior to filming The Golden Bachelor.
"There's so much more opportunity and I've gotten to know so many great people," Gerry gushed.
"I've had great experiences; and my family has had great experiences along with me that they would have never been afforded. So there's so many positive things. I was able to be a presenter at the CMA Awards. My daughter got to go with me."
Gerry was also excited to be able to travel to Costa Rica with his Final 2 bachelorettes: Leslie Fhima, a 64-year-old fitness instructor from Minneapolis, MN, and Theresa Nist, a 69-year-old financial services professional from Shrewsbury, NJ.
Gerry shared how his daughters and granddaughters were able to accompany him on that trip.
And Gerry admitted that it feels great to have fans and people around the world who are in his corner.
"It's just really fun because everybody's joining in the joy of it," Gerry said.
"And I wouldn't give that up to the world. It's not just for me, it's for everybody, finding their own piece of happiness with it."
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"I've already gotten texts from friends who are going to go to the local bar and grill on Thursday and they want to know if I'll be there finally," Gerry told the newspaper.
"We're in the seventh week and I've yet to make it to a watch party with my lake friends."
The 72-year-old retired restaurateur continued, "I've made it to one with my family and I've made it to pickleball and I've made it to another charity. But this will be the first one that I get with the group of people on the lake."
On The Golden Bachelor's upcoming November 16 episode, Gerry will be embarking on his overnight Fantasy Suite dates with Leslie and Theresa.
Gerry has already confessed that he's "in love" with both women, and he already told Leslie to her face that he loves her. Gerry, however, has yet to profess those three little words to Theresa.
In a preview of what's to come, Gerry looks at an engagement ring and acknowledges her could "make the wrong choice."
Gerry laments to The Golden Bachelor host Jesse Palmer, "This just isn't worth all of it. I had a good person and broke their heart. The only time I've ever felt worse in my whole life was when my wife [Toni] passed away, and this is a [gosh darn] close second."
After taking a break on Thanksgiving, The Golden Bachelor's finale is set to air on Thursday, November 30 at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.
RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
