“The Golden Bachelor”'s Joan Hopes for Another 'Chance at Love' but Feels 'Lucky' for Support After Sudden Exit

Joan Vassos admitted "sometimes the timing doesn't work out with finding love" after her surprise exit on Thursday night’s episode of 'The Golden Bachelor'

Joan Vassos is hopeful that The Golden Bachelor wasn’t her only chance at love.

Following her sudden departure from the ABC dating series, the 60-year-old private school administrator opened up about her decision to leave, saying that she hasn’t given up on finding a partner after ending her relationship with Gerry Turner.

"A huge thank you to everyone expressing their concern for my family," she shared on her Instagram Story. "It's a privilege to be a mom to four amazing kids and a grandmother (they call me Jojo) to two beautiful grandchildren. But once a mom, always a mom and sometimes the timing doesn't work out with finding love."

"Everyone at home is doing great and I hope one day I will get the chance at love again," she continued.

Related: Golden Bachelor: Kaitlyn Bristowe Doles Out a Date as 1 Woman Is Told to Keep Her 'Mouth Shut' in Clash over Gerry

The Maryland native also gave a special shout-out to the other ladies vying for Gerry’s heart on the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor.

“I’m so lucky to have been surrounded by such sweet and supportive women,” she wrote alongside a clip of her informing them she was leaving the show. “Missing these women!”

On Thursday’s episode, Joan scored a one-on-one dinner with Gerry after a memorable performance of her original poem, “I Just Hope I Don’t Vomit on Your Shoes," at the cast talent show.

During the meal, she admitted she “had a really hard time” leaving home after her daughter welcomed a baby 15 days prior to the show. She explained her decision to come on the show, saying, “For the first time in my life, I’m really going to do something for myself because I think I’m ready and this is an opportunity I just can’t let go.”

Related: Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner Says Red Flags Aren't Always a Bad Thing: 'Trying to Stay Open-Minded' (Exclusive)

Despite connecting with Gerry over dinner and getting a rose, Joan had a change of heart when she received a message from her daughter the next morning and broke down in tears over whether to leave the show to be with her family.

She told Gerry, “I got a text this morning, and I think I need to go home and be a mom right now. So as much as I don’t want to leave — and I don’t want to leave our journey — I got to be a parent.”

While he understood her decision, Gerry said he was “disappointed” that she was leaving, adding, “I was thrilled that we had a conversation like we did, but there’s a moral compass with both share and sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest.”

After sharing a goodbye kiss with Joan, Gerry broke down in tears on a bench outside the mansion.

Related: The Golden Bachelor's Marina Explains Why She Left the Show After Week 1: 'Had to Get My Priorities Straight'

Joan is not the only woman who had to leave The Golden Bachelor early. Fellow hopeful Marina Perera also exited the series due to “a situation with her family back home."

On a FaceTime call with Gerry, Marina explained that she needed to prioritize her family.

“The thing I wanted to tell you, you know, I’m a single mom and I had to choose my family and, you know, support my family’s needs at this time,” she said in a post shared last week. “I am so sorry that I had to leave, but at the same time I had to get my priorities straight.”

Gerry was completely responsive to her reasoning. "I fully understand," he said. "Commitment to family overrides just about everything else."

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The Golden Bachelor airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC.

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