The Golden Bachelorette star Joan Vassos faced some challenges during the season, including breaking up with frontrunner Mark Anderson, as well as Pascal Ibgui's self-elimination, and now she's revealing the heartbreaking struggle that she faced when she had to come to terms with her grief over the loss of her husband, John. Joan was married to John for 32 years until he passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2021. Throughout The Golden Bachelorette season 1, Joan has expressed that she wasn't sure if she was one hundred percent ready to move on with her life after John's passing.
Joan opened up about how her grief about John's death affected her Golden Bachelorette journey.
In an interview with People, Joan opened up about how her grief about John's death affected her Golden Bachelorette journey. She said, "I really struggled with that in the middle of the season. The Bachelor gives you access to psychiatrists that are actually at the mansion with you on the show, and so I did that."
Joan shared, "I actually had an appointment with them and we talked about what it would be, why it was so hard for me to move on in this journey and that I felt like I was still in love with John and I never would not be in love with him. And they're like, 'Well, that's fine.'"
Joan then explained the metaphor that the psychiatrists gave her to help her understand how to navigate her grief. She shared, "They said, 'Picture it like you have a balloon in each hand. One is John and one is this other person that you have feelings for, and you don't have to let go of this one to have this one also. There's room in your heart and in your memory for more than one person.' And I just needed to hear that it was okay. I didn't have to not love John anymore, and I didn't know that."
Joan also shared that her Golden Bachelorette journey wasn't what she expected. She said, "I evolved a lot over the season. I came in there thinking that I was so ready to find love and then realized that it's a way different journey than I thought it was going to be."
Joan went on to say, "But I feel like I grew, and I don't think I ever would be where I am today if I hadn't done this, because it kind of gave me the motivation to get through some of these emotions quickly because I wanted to end up with somebody." Joan added that she feels that she's now "exactly where I'm supposed to be."
Joan also revealed that she thought that falling for multiple people wouldn't happen for her on The Golden Bachelorette, but it did. She said, "I thought that was going to be impossible, that I would never, ever, ever have feelings for more than one person. It just seems very unlike me, and I was really wrong about that. I did end up having feelings for more than one person, and that was surprising."
Joan admitted that, because she had to leave Gerry Turner's Golden Bachelor season due to a family emergency, she didn't realize how grueling the process of the show could be. She said, "I really even hadn't spent that much time in the mansion. And the rigors and how tiring it all is, and it's such an exhausting emotional journey — it's a lot of hours every day. So it was very surprising, a lot of it. Mid-season was like, 'This is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be.'"
I really struggled with that in the middle of the season. The Bachelor gives you access to psychiatrists that are actually at the mansion with you on the show, and so I did that. I actually had an appointment with them and we talked about what it would be, why it was so hard for me to move on in this journey and that I felt like I was still in love with John and I never would not be in love with him. And they're like, "Well, that's fine."
They said, "Picture it like you have a balloon in each hand. One is John and one is this other person that you have feelings for, and you don't have to let go of this one to have this one also. There's room in your heart and in your memory for more than one person." And I just needed to hear that it was okay. I didn't have to not love John anymore, and I didn't know that.
I evolved a lot over the season. I came in there thinking that I was so ready to find love and then realized that it's a way different journey than I thought it was going to be. But I feel like I grew, and I don't think I ever would be where I am today if I hadn't done this, because it kind of gave me the motivation to get through some of these emotions quickly because I wanted to end up with somebody [I'm] exactly where I'm supposed to be.
I thought that was going to be impossible, that I would never, ever, ever have feelings for more than one person. It just seems very unlike me, and I was really wrong about that. I did end up having feelings for more than one person, and that was surprising.
I really even hadn't spent that much time in the mansion. And the rigors and how tiring it all is, and it's such an exhausting emotional journey — it's a lot of hours every day. So it was very surprising, a lot of it. Mid-season was like, "This is a lot harder than I thought it was going to be."
What Joan Vassos’ Struggles Mean For The Golden Bachelorette Outcome
Hopefully Joan Found Love With Chock Chapple Or Guy Gansert
Despite her struggles, Joan was able to narrow her 24 Golden Bachelorette suitors down to her final two men: Chock Chapple and Guy Gansert. Based on what she said, it seems she was able to finally come to terms with moving on with someone else after John's death, and she now understands that it doesn't mean that she has to stop loving him. There's room in her heart for both the first and second great loves of her life. Hopefully, Joan's comment that she's exactly where she's supposed to be means that she found love with either Chock or Guy.
Our Take On Joan Vassos Opening Up About Her Personal Struggles
Joan Is A Very Brave Woman Who's Helping Many People
Like Gerry's Golden Bachelor season, Joan's Golden Bachelorette season has become more than just a reality dating show for seniors. It's also an inspiring show that gives hope to people that they can find love at any stage of their life. Joan's journey through the grief of her husband is such a relatable story for so many people. She was very brave for navigating through it on television, and she's helping so many people in the process.
Even though it's been hard for her, Joan's Golden Bachelorette journey has been beautiful. Not only is she on her way to falling in love with either Chock or Guy, but she's also working her way through her grief about the first love of her life, John. It would be wonderful if Joan found love at the end of her season, but, in the process, she's found something even more important: herself.
