'Golden Bachelorette' says she had to lie to her family about a 'super embarrassing' part of the dating show

When Joan Vassos was crowned the “Golden Bachelorette,” she had to tell her family some lies about the process.

“They were very persistent about me [not] kissing men on TV and about fantasy suites. So that was super embarrassing for her,” Vassos told Fox News Digital.

“But you know, I said I wouldn't kiss anyone. And we all knew that was a lie. So, oh well!” she added, laughing.

Vassos first appeared in the premiere season of the Golden Bachelor series last year and said her family was “a little more nervous” about it than about her taking on the role of Golden Bachelorette.

‘GOLDEN BACHELORETTE’ REVEALED AS JOAN VASSOS: 5 THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT THE 61-YEAR-OLD GRANDMOTHER

“Nobody really knew what it would look like, whether it would just look like a bunch of old people going out, and whether it might not be very dignified or, I don't know, it might be embarrassing for them, I guess,” she explained.

“So, after seeing that it was really beautifully portrayed and it showed that dating at this age is not embarrassing and can actually be fun and, [there were] great personalities from the women. And in my season, the men were great. They were a little less worried about me.”

WATCH: 'THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE' STAR HAD TO LIE TO HIS FAMILY ABOUT KISSING CONTESTANTS ON THE SHOW

As the “Golden Bachelorette,” Vassos can choose one of 24 older men “in the prime of their lives,” according to the show’s synopsis.

“I'm looking for someone who is ready to spend the second half of their life having some adventure. I want to have fun. I want to show on the show that dating is fun and that just because we're a little older doesn't mean it's out of the question,” Vassos said.

“I'm looking for someone who is ready to spend the second half of their life having some adventure. I want to have fun. I want to show on the show that dating is fun and that just because we're a little older doesn't mean it's out of the question,” Vassos said. (Disney/Gilles Mingasson)

KATHIE LEE GIFFORD REJECTED “GOLDEN BACHELORETTE”: “NOT MUCH TIME BEFORE THEY WANT YOU IN THE HOT TUB”

“I also just want a nice man and a generous person and someone who will embrace my family. And I really want someone who has a family that I can be involved in. So right now my life is about family and I hope that I can find a person who has the same values ​​as me.”

Vassos is a 61-year-old mother of four and grandmother of three grandchildren. She says this is the secret of her youthfulness.

“I said I wouldn't kiss anyone. And we all knew that was a lie. So, oh well!”

— Joan Vassos

“They make you happy. I think happiness is an important part of staying young. And then I have a dog, so I often walk him. So I'm outside in the fresh air and active,” the school administrator said.

She lost her husband John to cancer after 32 years of marriage and thanks her family and friends for helping her through the difficult times.

Joan Vassos said she did not want to “replace” her first husband John Vassos by participating in “The Golden Bachelorette.” (Disney/Michael LeBrecht)

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

“I had an eight-month-old grandson when John died. He was a kind of comfort to me. Honestly, you just can't be unhappy around a little eight-month-old,” she said.

The Rockville, Maryland resident added that she also has “great friends.”

WATCH: THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE STAR REVEALS WHAT SHE'S LOOKING FOR AND HER ENGAGEMENT GOALS

“They didn't let me sit around and say, 'I'm not going out for the next week.' That wasn't allowed. They would come and drag me out of the house. And honestly, it helped me a lot to keep busy. So, you know, you still had your grief. It was there when you got home. But going out and feeling a little lighter, you know, having dinner or going for a walk with a friend, really helps.”

What connected fan favorite Vassos with Gerry in “The Golden Bachelor” was, among other things, their shared grief over the loss of their spouse.

Vassos was part of the opening season of “The Golden Bachelor” with Gerry Turner. (ABC/John Fleenor)

“GOLDEN BACHELOR” GERRY TURNER AND THERESA NIST SHARE WEDDING DETAILS AND ADMIT “THE FANTASY SUITE WAS EVERYTHING”

“We got along great. He kind of helped me through this whole grief journey. I imagined a life with somebody else for the first time, because that's what you do on the show, like you're looking for a life with somebody else. So you start having these real thoughts, like, could this be something, you know, would this be something that would work? So I actually imagined that I could potentially have a life with him,” Vassos said.

Vassos eventually left the show early to help her daughter, who was suffering from postpartum depression.

Vassos left “The Golden Bachelor” early to help her daughter cope with postnatal depression. (ABC/John Fleenor)

“Who knows what would happen in the future, and if he had formed stronger bonds with other people or maybe our connection, would it have ended up being just our friendship, which is what it is now? And he's one of my favorite people. I love Gary, but as a friend, so who knows how it would have turned out? But I think it turned out the way it was meant to.”

Gerry married Theresa Nist in January 2024, but to the surprise of many, the couple divorced just a few months later.

Turner and Nist announced their separation during an appearance on “Good Morning America.” (JOHN FLEENOR / DISNEY)

LIKE WHAT YOU READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

“I've seen their love affair and their journey and I thought they were really well suited for each other. And that just goes to show that there's still a lot of work to do when you get out of the 'Bachelor' bubble. And you have to figure out what a life together outside of the 'Bachelor' bubble would look like,” Vassos said. “So I'm surprised they didn't make it.”

She added, “But I'm also not surprised. I mean, it happens, there are a lot of success stories and some failures too. And I wouldn't call them failures. They're just revelations that happen when you leave 'The Bachelor' bubble.”

“I'm looking for someone who is ready to spend the second half of their life having adventures. I want to have fun.”

— Joan Vassos

Vassos doesn't believe there is a way to escape the so-called “Bachelor” curse because, “I think it takes work.”

WATCH: THE GOLDEN BACHELORETTE STAR WAS SURPRISED BY GERRY TURNER AND THERESA NIST'S DIVORCE

“'[The] Bachelor' offers therapy, couples therapy. So if you want to participate in that, I think that's a great idea. I think the time between saying goodbye, picking up and when you can actually be together in public again is a really difficult time for a lot of couples, and that's where it starts to get bad. So I think it's really important to maybe do some therapy or make sure that you're doing something that you're staying connected in a real way even if you can't see each other.”

Vassos said she wasn't worried about getting engaged by the end of her season. (Disney/Gilles Mingasson)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

For this reason, Vassos is not so keen to end her season with an engagement, but rather with a real partner.

“I know this is an incredible opportunity and that I will never have men pre-selected for me, 24 of them. So I knew this was a great opportunity. And I thought: [it’s] So I wanted to take away from the show someone that I wanted to explore life outside of the 'Bachelor' bubble with… dating or figuring out what a living situation might look like, what the future might look like with that person, but it didn't necessarily have to be an engagement.”

“The Golden Bachelorette” premieres Wednesday, September 18, on ABC.