The Golden Bachelorette is set to premiere tonight on ABC. In preparation for this, the Golden Bachelorette herself Joan Vassos is speaking out to reveal the lie she told her family when she was in the casting process.

Vassos’ One Lie To Her Family

“They were very adamant about me [not] kissing men on TV and about fantasy suites,” Vassos, 61, told Fox News. “So that was like super embarrassing for them.”  

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

Vassos initially competed on the first season of The Golden Bachelor last year. However, she explained that her family was “a little more nervous” about her being the lead in The Golden Bachelorette.

“Nobody really knew what this was going to look like, if it was just going to look like a bunch of old people dating and might not be very dignified or, I don’t know, it could be embarrassing, I guess, for them,” she recalled.

“So, after they saw that it was really portrayed really nicely, and it showed that, dating at this age isn’t embarrassing, and it could be really fun and, [there were] great personalities of the women,” Vassos continued. “And on my season, the men are amazing. They were a little less worried about me.”

Related: ‘Bachelor’ Star Hailey Merkt Tragically Dies At Just 31 After Cancer Battle – She Was ‘Anything But Boring’

Vassos Reveals What She’s Looking For In A Man

On this season of The Golden Bachelorette, Vassos will be trying to find a partner among 24 older gentlemen “in the prime of their lives.” Heading into the show, she knew exactly what she was looking for.

“I am looking for someone who’s ready to spend the second half of their life with some adventure,” she stated. “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 that that’s out of the question.”

Vassos added that she also wants “a kind man and a generous person and someone who’s going to embrace my family. And I really want somebody who has a family that I can be involved with. So right now, my life is about family, and I hope I find a person that has the same values as me.”

Vassos is a proud mother of four and grandmother of three. She believes that this is what keeps her so youthful.

Vassos is also a widow, as her beloved husband John, who she was married to for 32 years, died of cancer. Her children and grandchildren helped to get her through this devastating experience.

Related: Charity Lawson Opens Up About Death Threats She Received While Competing On ‘Dancing With The Stars’, Mental Health Challenges

‘A Great Opportunity’

Unlike many others in The Bachelor franchises, Vassos isn’t concerned about whether her season ends with her getting engaged. Instead, she just wants a true partner.

“I know that this is an amazing opportunity and that I’m never going to have men preselected for me, 24 of them,” she said. “So I knew this was a great opportunity. And I thought, [it’s] likely that I’m going to find a man that is going to be a good match for me.”

“So, I wanted to come off this show with a person that I wanted to explore a life with outside of The Bachelor bubble…date or, figure out what a living situation might look like, what the future might look like with that person, but didn’t necessarily have to be an engagement,” Vassos concluded.

The Golden Bachelorette premieres tonight on ABC. Be sure to check it out if you’re curious to see if Vassos finds love!

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