April Kirkwood did not find The One on The Golden Bachelor — and she’s relieved about that.
“I’m glad he’s not my guy! I don’t look like I belong on a wedding cake with him,” April, 65, said during the Thursday, November 2, episode of the “Viall Files” podcast. “I gotta find my guy. I’ll know it [because] I fall in love right away. There’s certain things that I attach to somebody and then I [realize I’m in love and] had [Gerry Turner] been somebody like that when I lose all my brains, I would have been a maniac.”
April declared she would have been “ripping off my panties and running and dancing” around the Bachelor Mansion, shoving others out of the way, if she had feelings for Gerry.
April was one of the women vying for Gerry’s heart on the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor, quickly gaining a fan reputation as the “quirky” contestant with a vibrant personality. Shortly into filming, April realized that Gerry, 72, led a “very different” lifestyle to her, telling host Nick Viall on Thursday that it felt like they had an “age gap” based on their interests. (For instance, April is a proud Taylor Swift and Harry Styles fan, while Gerry prefers listening to the classic vocal stylings of Dean Martin.)
“I really wasn’t feeling the connection to Gerry, so I didn’t care what happened,” April noted. “I’m here to have a good time [and] I’m here to try and if it works, it works. If not, phone will ring the next minute.”
While April concurred that Gerry was “well-groomed” and a “perfect gentleman,” she couldn’t get past him allegedly ignoring her.
“Now, there were times when Gerry and I talked and he just seems to look right past me,” April, who is a retired therapist, claimed during the podcast episode. “And as a counselor, I’ll tell you the meanest thing you can ever do to any human being is ignore them, and that did hurt my heart. … I mean, tell me you don’t like me, tell me you think I’m a bi-atch or I’m naive, I’m sweet, tell me anything, but don’t ignore me.”
April claimed she felt like Gerry “looked through my being and my soul and my heart … constantly.” She explained, “It really gave me the intention that I had set to be and be courageous and look for love [elsewhere]. But, I will never ignore anybody.”
April added that she felt bothered that Gerry had “no reaction” when she added a bunny tail to her rose ceremony dress one night. Now, she looks at Gerry’s actions as a blessing in disguise.
“There was nothing I could do. That’s OK, because it made me stronger because now I know that I will never be more forward in telling people, ‘I see you, I know [and] you are important,’” she said. “There’s no reason to be nasty or cold or rude or dismissive.”
April told Nick that she is fielding dating offers from nearly “a thousand” men in her DMs — but only one “would be [her] style.” She teased, “He was good-looking and gorgeous and he’s around my age and he’s hot and well-traveled! … I definitely am looking for love, [but] for me it [needs to be] very organic.”
Gerry is down to his final three: Leslie Fhima, Faith Martin and Theresa Nist. April noted on Thursday that she was surprised that he eliminated Ellen Goltzer before hometowns. “But, you know men, sometimes they think in the kitchen area,” April quipped. “One thing I learned: Men are men [and] whether 70 or 17, they’re all driven by hormones.”
The Golden Bachelor airs on ABC Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.
