Joan Vassos talks about Guy Gansert’s past.
In the episode of October 23 Viall files podcast, The Golden Bachelor, 61, broke her silence on reports that Gansert’s ex-wife Heidi previously filed for a temporary restraining order against him in 2021.
“The golden The franchise is kind of unique because we come here with a lot of history,” Vassos began. “We’ve lived a lot of lives and it doesn’t completely surprise me that there are things that maybe later on they’re not proud of.”
The Golden Bachelor‘s Guy Gansert on ex-wife’s restraining order: It ‘doesn’t represent who I am’
She explained that she had “never seen that side of Guy” and that all her interactions with the men vying for her heart were “pure and lovely”.
“I would never have had any indication that he had any kind of past. I had no idea what his interactions with his ex-wife were like at the time,” she continued. “He was so kind to me and he was so open and he was so vulnerable. He was crying. He was talking about, you know, finally feeling happy for the first time in so many years.”
(L) Guy Gansert and Joan Vassos on ‘The Golden Bachelor’.
Disney/Gilles Mingasson
While she would have “never” guessed in a “million years” that Gansert, 66, had such a history, Vassos added, “I still believe he’s a kind and good person. You know, maybe he made a mistake. I don’t know I don’t know anything about [it] except what you know.”
Joan Vassos ‘felt like’ she was ‘cheating’ on her late husband by falling in love with The Golden Bachelor suitor (exclusive)
Earlier this month, PEOPLE reported that Gansert’s ex-wife Heidi O’Gara previously filed for a temporary protective order in Reno, Nevada, in October 2021, but dropped it a month later before it was granted.
In her filing, obtained by PEOPLE, she asked Gansert to contact her strictly via email only regarding parenting matters, claiming she received text messages “trying to make up and then get angry” and later “physically tried to threaten”.
On the day she filed for the order, she alleged Gansert put something under her tire after running into her with his sister at the gym. Then he allegedly “made a sign with his hand in the shape of a gun as if he was going to shoot me.”
On Nov. 3, 2021, O’Gara filed a motion to dismiss the request for a protective order, which was never implemented, and a judge granted her request, according to the filing.
:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc():focal(749x0:751x2)/guy-the-golden-bachelorette-100924-1-3d846af8e41649ec90df474041164500.jpg)
Guy Gansert.
Disney/Ricky Middlesworth
The Golden Bachelor Eliminations: Who else is competing for Joan Vassos’ heart, and who didn’t get the rose?
On October 10, Gansert (who is still competing for Vassos’ heart at The Golden Bachelor) came forward in connection with the submission of a lengthy statement on Instagram.
“I would like to respond to articles about a personal matter from 2021,” he wrote. “This was an unfortunate situation that occurred during an incredibly stressful time for me and my ex-wife and was ultimately resolved when she voluntarily [sic] denied her request for a protective order. Together we devised a solution that was acceptable to both parties.”
He concluded: “The past few years have forced me to do some deep self-evaluation and I will always continue to work on improving myself. I greatly appreciate The Golden Bachelor and Bachelor Nation as well as my family, who have been extremely supportive during the most difficult moments of my life. I am eternally grateful to them.”
O’Gara also spoke out in a statement to PEOPLE at the time, saying, “After years of marriage, Guy and I share four amazing children and a new grandchild. Although our divorce was very difficult, protecting our family’s privacy and moving forward, we achieved we made a joint decision and decided not to comment on it publicly.”
ABC has not publicly commented on the situation involving Gansert, but a source close to the production did The Golden Bachelor told PEOPLE that they “learned from Gansert during our vetting process that his ex-wife had filed for a temporary protective order against him following a disagreement.”
The source noted that the production then “confirmed that it was never approved, as Gansert’s ex-wife voluntarily dropped the request shortly after it was filed. So he was allowed to continue through the casting process.”
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
The Golden Bachelor airs Wednesdays at 8:00 PM ET on ABC.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education