GOLDEN Bachelor fans have been left in tears after watching Gerry Turner cry over his late wife Toni.
The ABC star reflected on the death of his high school sweetheart during the premiere of the dating competition series on Thursday.
Golden Bachelor fans cried along with star Gerry Turner during the premiereCredit: ABC
The ABC personality cried as he reflected on his marriage to his late wife ToniCredit: ABC
Before Gerry, 71, headed to the Bachelor mansion to meet his potential suitors, he opened up about his journey to find love, calling it "the first day of the rest of my life."
The star revealed that he was looking for a romance that could compare to the one he and Toni shared, saying: "How lucky would I be to find a second true love in my lifetime?"
Looking back on their lives together, he shared: "I married Toni in 1972. We had 43 wonderful years together. We had a real typical but beautiful life full of love, full of activity.
"And as years went on, I retired. We had a plan and we had an idea of what our dream house was going to be so when Toni retired the end of May in 2017 we bought that dream house. Closed on it on June 6. From June 6 on it didn't go according to plan at all. You know, she became ill and her situation got worse over a couple of weeks."
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"She had a bacterial infection," Gerry said through tears.
"That bacterial infection infected her kidneys. Infected her liver. And so I took my wife to the emergency room on July 7 and she never came home and she passed away on July 15."
The Golden Bachelor star cried as he said: "Every time I look at that lake, I go, 'This is her dream. This is what she deserves. Why am I standing here alone?' It will be six years since Toni passed away.
"No one's ever going to replace Toni but the love of my daughters and my granddaughters pulled me out of a dark spot. I yearn for the second chance in life to fall in love again."
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The heartbreaking moment was almost too much for viewers at home.
FANS BREAK DOWN
One viewer wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "Ayo I'm crying."
"Y'all...this man is in his 70s and looking for the one to fill his heart after losing his wife of 43 years. I'm already crying. I'm sold!" a second Golden Bachelor viewer wrote.
Someone else posted: "5 mins in and I'm crying and rooting for [Gerry] to find love."
"IM ALREADY CRYING! Gerry you are an absolute gem of a man. Please let this man find the perfect woman," a fourth fan wrote.
Someone else commented: "Haven't watched the Bachelor in years. My goodness, I'm crying in the first 4 minutes of the #GoldenBachelor. I hope he finds love again."
"The beginning has me crying," a sixth person posted.
"The fact that it had been 6 years and Gerry is still crying when telling the story of his wife's illness and death," another person wrote, adding a crying emoji.
Another fan wrote: "30 seconds in and I'm already teary stop."
ONE TRUE LOVE
Gerry opened up about Toni during a Good Morning America interview ahead of the premiere of the Golden Bachelor.
He again got emotional as he said: "She got robbed. Every day that goes by, that's the thought that I have."
Gerry revealed that he keeps his late wife's photo on his dresser.
He also shared that he continues seeking her approval to date other women.
"We always told each other, when one of us goes, we want the other one to be happy," he said.
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"She's up there rooting. She's saying, 'Yeah, Gerry. Do this.'"
Gerry has two daughters, Angie and Jenny, and two granddaughters, Charlee and Payton.
Toni died suddenly and unexpectedly after contracting a bacterial infectionCredit: ABC
She and Gerry were married for 43 yearsCredit: ABC
Gerry said during the premiere he is eager for a second shot at loveCredit: ABC
