“Golden Bachelorette” Joan Vassos Says She and Gerry Turner 'Text All the Time' and Reveals His Advice for Her

"He's a very, very good friend," Vassos said of Turner

Joan Vassos is ready to make her debut as The Golden Bachelorette with a helpful tip from Gerry Turner.

Vassos, who was announced as the first-ever lead for the ABC reality series last month, said she has stayed in contact with Turner after vying for his final rose in the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor last year. Though Vassos bowed out of the competition in Week 3 after her daughter gave birth, and Turner ultimately selected Teresa Nist (whom he later divorced after three months of marriage), Vassos told Entertainment Tonight that she and Turner still "text all the time."

"He's a very, very good friend," she continued. "He did this so well. He kind of created the road map that we have now. There's no rulebook, and he kind of wrote it a little bit."

While saluting his demeanor throughout the show, Vassos shared the advice Turner gave her as she begins her own journey to finding love.

Related: Kathie Lee Gifford Jokes She'd Do The Golden Bachelorette Only If the Men Were 'Much Younger'

"He exemplified somebody who is very open and vulnerable. He said that's what you need to be from day one, because you don't have a lot of time," Vassos said of Turner. "This is a quick journey. You can't leave anything on the table. I feel like day one, starting conversation one, everything you do here is important."

The mom of four confessed that due to her brief stint on The Golden Bachelor, she was surprised to learn she had been selected to serve as the first Golden Bachelorette.

"I so thought that I was gonna be that girl who left that nobody remembers. I truly believed that was gonna be the outcome," she told ET. "I really was sad about that, honestly, because I loved being here. I think the process worked. I was sad when I had to leave, so having the opportunity to come back and [having] people actually remember me a little bit [is amazing]."

Related: Joan Vassos Reveals Her Relatable Reason for Joining Golden Bachelorette and Non-Negotiables for a Future Partner

Vassos already knows what she wants, and detailed her non-negotiables in a recent installment of the Bachelor Happy Hour: Golden Hour podcast.

“I really want love,” Vassos said, adding, “I want to have somebody in my life. I feel like life is better when you share it with somebody. I truly believe all of that."

"As far as my heart being completely open, I think it's nine-tenths of the way there," she continued. "So, I think I just need to spend a little more time in like an environment like The Bachelor environment. I so am not… like I really want to find love. I just don't want to go to the work of going on a dating website.”

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The Golden Bachelorette will air Wednesdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC this fall.

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