Gary Levingston shares an update about where he stands with ex Joan Vassos and his costars from season 1 of The Golden Bachelorette during an exclusive interview with Life & Style.
“We are in touch on a regular basis,” Gary, 66, tells Life & Style about Joan, 62, while promoting his partnership with Talkspace. “Whenever she posts things, I’m always responding or she’s responding to mine. Both her and Chock [Chapple] are near and dear to my heart. We are close and dear friends. So it’s been a fabulous relationship. It really has.”
Fans first got to know Gary when he competed on the debut season of The Golden Bachelorette in the fall of 2024. While Joan didn’t find lasting love with Gary, she ended the season engaged to Chock, 61.
Despite noting finding love on the ABC show, Gary created strong friendships with the other contestants vying for Joan’s heart.
“We are all still in touch with each other. Just last week we went to an event in Beverly Hills,” Gary says about reuniting with the men at Hulu’s Get Real event. “So we all stayed very much in touch with each other.”
Not only do the reality stars run into each other at events, but they also make active efforts to stay in touch. “In fact, this afternoon we’re all getting on a Zoom call to just reconnect and talk again as we’re coming up on our one year anniversary when we first met,” Gary shares. “So the bromance continues and it’s absolutely fabulous.”
Fans can continue to watch Gary’s journey to find love when he appears on season 10 of Bachelor in Paradise. The upcoming season marks the first time stars from the Golden franchise will be featured looking for love on the beach.
In addition to talking about his friendships with his Golden Bachelorette costars, Gary also opens up about his partnership with Talkspace during National Mental Health Awareness month. He was recently named as a “senior advisor” for Talkspace, which is a leading online behavioral health care company.
“Talkspace has pulled me in to be their very first senior advisor, which is fantastic. Using my platform to speak to the seniors, or the Goldens as I like to call them, to talk about mental health in particular for May Mental Health Awareness Month,” he explains of his partnership with the brand, which accepts Medicare.
Gary adds that “the beauty” of the partnership is that he can use his “background in executive producing stage productions and film” to “oversee some of the public service announcement ads and speak to things that will add value to those that are on the receiving end of seeing and watching those PSAs.”
Gary Levingston, Joan Vassos
The TV personality says that it’s “really important” for people to take care of their mental health, especially as they get older.
“I think it’s important that we focus on more than just our physical health. You see more of us drinking more water, you see us going and exercising and doing the whole workout thing and the pickleball versus tennis, but we forget a very important part of that health issue and it’s associated with mental health and there are stigmas associated with [that],” Gary says. “I think it’s important that we do focus on the mental side of our health, not just the physical side.”
