Joanna Vassos cast as first ‘Golden Bachelorette,’ weeks after ‘Golden Bachelor’ divorce announcement

Joan Vassos has been cast as the first-ever “Golden Bachelorette” — roughly a month since the inaugural “Golden Bachelor” Gerry Turner and wife Theresa Nist closed the book on their fairytale love story.

ABC, the home of Bachelor Nation, announced Vassos’ casting Tuesday at the Disney Upfront 2024 presentation.

The widowed school administrator, 61, and mother of four competed for 72-year-old Turner’s love on last year’s freshman season of “Golden Bachelor” until a family emergency necessitated her departure.

“Vassos is a remarkable woman whose life has been defined by her resilience, zest for adventure and strong family values. It was those family values that led to her heartbreaking decision to leave ‘The Golden Bachelor,’ self-eliminating after a medical concern with her daughter arose,” read the casting release, which noted Vassos is starting “her journey to seek love once more.”

Both Turner and Nist, 70, congratulated Vassos on her casting.

“You will be phenomenal as the new representative of a generation. From one Golden to another…relax, breathe and enjoy,” Turner said in a note posted Tuesday on his Instagram.

Introducing #TheGoldenBachelorette. pic.twitter.com/qhLrF0evFU

— Bachelor Nation (@bachnation) May 14, 2024

“My dear friend, Joan, I am so excited for you!!” Nist wrote on an Instagram Story, sharing a snap of herself and Vassos.

The Disney-owned network announced back in February that the “Golden Bachelor” spinoff would be heading to ABC and Hulu this fall and that casting for the hopeful female was “well underway.”

Last month, Turner and Nist revealed on “Good Morning America” — which also airs on ABC — that they were splitting up, just three months after marrying in a live two-hour TV special.

Noting they remained “best friends” and still love each other, the reality personalities said their romance couldn’t overcome their long-distance living arrangements.

Nist noted at the time that they’d been worried about sharing the news, as they’d given “so much hope” to others searching for love in their golden years and urged them to “stay in it. Stay hopeful. ‘Cause we are.”