The Golden Bachelor's Joan Vassos has opened up about her early and unexpected departure from Gerry Turner's journey to find love.
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Joan revealed that her daughter had recently given birth via c-section and it wasn't "a normal everyday delivery at all." Joan therefore decided she must put family first, even though she said it broke her heart to leave Gerry after they had just enjoyed a romantic one-on-one date.
Joan took to Instagram shortly after the episode aired and gave "a huge thank you" to viewers for "expressing their concern" about her family, according to Us Weekly.
Joan continued, "It's a privilege to be a mom to four amazing kids and a grandmother (they call me Jojo) to two beautiful grandchildren. But once a mom, always a mom and sometimes the timing doesn't work out with finding love."
Joan reportedly went on to say that "everyone at home is doing great" now.
"I hope one day I will get the chance at love again," she added.
Joan subsequently uploaded a photo with Gerry via Instagram and wrote, "My journey to find love took a detour this week as I traded the mansion for motherhood and headed home to be with my family."
Joan reiterated how "family comes first, period" in her eyes.
"Once a mother, always a mother, I'll always choose my kids first," explained the blonde beauty.
"Thank you for all of your outpouring love and support, for not only me but also my daughter -- everyone is now healthy and happy! As for me and my journey to love... guess we will have to see where it takes me next. Until then, stay golden #thegoldenbachelor #teamjoan."
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After being crowned the winner of The Golden Bachelor's talent show on a group date, Joan -- who had written and read a heartfelt poem, despite her stage fright -- accompanied Gerry on a romantic dinner date inside of what appeared to be an antique store.
"I want to tell you that I'm as excited to spend time with you as I've ever been with anyone," Gerry gushed to the bachelorette. "And so here's to you, and here's to a future."
Joan said she had connected with The Golden Bachelor star on "so many levels" and she could truly envision herself being with Gerry for the long haul.
But the next day, Joan received a distressing message from her daughter, who apparently needed her at home.
Joan explained how "things go wrong" and she needed to be there for her child.
Joan therefore announced to all the women how she'd be leaving the show but her heart was "breaking" to leave Gerry. Susan Noles even cried, knowing how much this experience meant to Joan.
Gerry, meanwhile, woke up that morning feeling like "a million bucks," mainly because his night with Joan was so "revealing" and had ended with them forming a tight bond. But he was about to find out that Joan was going to quit on him.
When Gerry arrived at The Golden Bachelor mansion to pick up his date, Joan asked to speak with him first. Joan then let him down gently that she'd have to leave the show prematurely.
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Gerry began crying, saying that he totally understood where she was coming from, but, at the same time, he was extremely disappointed to lose her from The Golden Bachelor.
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Gerry said he had hopped out of bed dancing that morning but they both shared the same moral compass and sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest thing to do.
"Although I know I'm doing the right thing for my family, I feel like I'm doing the hugely wrong thing for us," Joan admitted to Gerry.
Gerry reiterated in that moment how he understood Joan needed to go but he was very hurt and sad about their breakup. The Golden Bachelor star said he'd be with her in spirit at home, and it was an emotional goodbye for them both.
Joan said she wanted Gerry -- an "incredible" man and "a really, really good guy" -- to find happiness, but she left him crying in his hands outside of The Bachelor mansion.
Joan expressed to the cameras in her final words how she felt Gerry had "fixed" her heart to some extent.
"He's helped with the journey, because as you get older you become more invisible," Joan shared. "People don't see you anymore. You're not as significant as when you're young."
At the end of Gerry's second week as The Golden Bachelor star, he eliminated Edith and Christina.
The nine women left on The Golden Bachelor are April, Ellen, Faith, Kathy, Leslie, Nancy, Sandra, Susan, and Theresa.
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
