Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner has admitted he fibbed about not dating any other women between his wife’s 2017 death and appearing on the hit reality show.

Asked about his lies, which were exposed by The Hollywood Reporter, Turner, 72, told Katie Couric: ‘I guess I would say this: I dated a number of women, but then it becomes an issue of how you define whether you’re in a relationship.’

Turner was exposed by an ex who gave her name as Carolyn. She said she enjoyed a year-long relationship with the reality star after his wife of 45 years Toni died of an infection in 2017. 

Turner claimed on TV that Toni’s death had plunged him into such deep grief that he’d only countenanced romance again after being approached to appear on the hit show. 

But Carolyn – who is 14 years younger than Turner – says she began dating Turner just two months after his wife died. 

Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner has admitted lying about his romantic and career past in a new interview with Katie Couric. He’s seen with his fiancée Theresa Nist, who he met on the reality show and now plans to marry

Turner, pictured in a glossy publicity shot for the show, has admitted he did date other women between his wife’s 2017 death and his appearance on the show  

While Turner was introduced as a ‘retired restaurateur,’ his LinkedIn profile shows he has not owned a restaurant since 1985, when he sold his Mr Quick hamburger in Iowa (stock picture). He has since found work as a hot tub maintenance man 

They grew so close that she spent time at his Indiana lake house, only for Turner to later dump her for gaining 10 pounds.

Asked about those claims, the silver-tongued Casanova told Couric that his romance with Turner ‘didn’t really last a few years.’ He then quickly changed the subject, saying: ‘But I want to focus on what’s going on now.’

Carolyn said Turner callously ditched her on seeing she’d gained weight before a school reunion, telling her: ‘I’m not taking you to the reunion looking like that.’

She also accused him of being tight with money, claiming he’d make her pay for half their meals before they ate out – so he could then pick up the check and look like a gent.

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Turner is said to have demanded Carolyn pay her own way after she moved in with him in July 2018 – although she says she managed to cut his initial demand for $1,000 in monthly living expenses down to $850.  

Cleanliness was also a bugbear of Turner’s, according to Carolyn. She alleges he’d demand she make the bed each morning before breakfast. 

Turner is pictured with his new fiancée Theresa Nist, who he met on The Golden Bachelor and now plans to marry. She’s standing by him despite the allegations  

Other women have also claimed that Turner dated them between Toni’s wife and his appearance on the show. 

Turner proposed to Theresa Nist during the finale of the ABC show, with his new lover standing by him despite the embarrassing revelations about his past. 

The star went on to concede that his claims of being a successful retired restaurateur were inflated – and that the mom and pop hamburger store he’d owned closed in 1985.

Turner, who has since worked as a hot tub maintenance man, told Couric: ‘The business I owned was very much like the Cadillac Diner that Theresa and I went to on the very first date. I sold burgers and fries and shakes, and it was a very profitable business.

‘And the comments about what I did later in life, I did those after I retired. I retired at 55, and I was very happy giving back to the community and doing things that were worth something to other people. 

‘I mean, jeez, I didn’t work as a handyman for the money. I did it because I knew I was doing something good for people who needed help. 

‘There’s just enough truth in (the article). But I have so many positives to think about that I haven’t really given that article a whole lot of though.’

Turner and his latest love Theresa will now wed on TV, in a special titled The Golden Wedding.

The pair have discussed moving to Charleston, South Carolina, to begin their lives together.