Guy Gansert and Joan Vassos on ‘The Golden Bachelorette.’ Disney/Gilles Mingasson
Golden Bachelorette Joan Vassos is sharing her reaction to a past restraining order filed against one of her suitors.
It emerged earlier this month that Guy Gansert’s ex-wife, Heidi, filed for a temporary protective order against Guy, 66, in October 2021, but voluntarily dismissed the filing a month later.
“The Golden franchise is a little bit unique because we come here with a lot of past. We’ve lived a lot of life and it doesn’t completely surprise me that there are things that they’re maybe not proud of later on,” Joan, 61, shared on the Wednesday, October 23, episode of “The Viall Files” podcast hosted by former Bachelor Nick Viall.
Joan continued, “I never saw that side of Guy or of anybody. My interactions with all the guys were pure and lovely and I would have never had any indication that there was any kind of past that he had. I had no idea what the interactions with his ex-wife were at that time.”
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For her part, Joan said that Guy has been a great suitor for her affections on The Golden Bachelorette. (Viewers saw Guy make Joan’s top three alongside Chock Chapple and Pascal Ibgui on Wednesday’s episode of the ABC reality dating competition.)
“He was so kind to me and he was so open and he was so vulnerable. He cried. He talked about, you know, finally feeling happy for the first time in so many years. I never in a million years would have guessed that there was any kind of past there,” Joan said.
Joan Vassos. Disney/Brian Bowen Smith
She added, “I still believe that 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] other than what you guys know.”
In the October 2021 filing, obtained by People and The U.S. Sun, Guy’s ex claimed that he “physically tried to threaten” her. In another incident, Heidi said Guy “motioned like he was going to shoot me with his hand shaped like a pistol.”
Guy addressed the filing in a statement shared via Instagram earlier this month, saying that he and Heidi resolved the issues between them at the time.
Guy Gansert Disney/Ricky Middlesworth
“This was an unfortunate situation that occurred during an incredibly stressful time for me and my former spouse and was ultimately resolved when she voluntarily dismissed her request for a protective order,” Guy, 66, wrote in an October 10 statement. “Together, we crafted a resolution that was agreeable to both parties.”
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“My ex-wife and I recently asked the court to seal her application for the protective order as we had hoped to maintain privacy for our family,” he continued. “But, I know that being in the public eye comes responsibility.”
A source told Us Weekly at the time that production learned from Guy during the show’s vetting process that an application for a temporary protective order was filed against him by his ex-wife after a disagreement, but confirmed that it was never granted as Heidi voluntarily dismissed the application shortly after the filing. Therefore, he was cleared to continue through the casting process.
