Golden Bachelor contestant April Kirkwood, 65, had 'decades-long affair' with legend Frankie Valli w
GOLDEN Bachelor competitor April Kirkwood has opened up about her lengthy affair with Frankie Valli that started in her teens.
Bachelor Nation was introduced to the cast of ladies competing for star Gerry Turner's heart on Thursday.
Golden Bachelor hopeful April opened up about her past relationship with the Four Seasons singer in her memoir Big Girls Do Cry: My Love Affair with Frankie Valli, according to The New York Post.
She recalled being a big fan as young as age six, attending shows with her mom and aunt.
They would sneak their way backstage, she told the outlet, where April claimed she would run for Frankie.
The beloved musician would pick her up and carry her around while she cuddled close to him.
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More than a decade later, April claims she lost her virginity to Frankie in a hotel room.
She shared: "He was 23 years older than me.
That first night was sad. I had never seen a naked man before. I was like, 'Oh, my God. What did I just do?'"
After having sex with Frankie for the first time, April claims he told her: "Now don't do this with anyone else."
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He also told her it was late and she should head home.
"I was smart enough to go, 'Can I have your phone number?'" she said.
"And, of course, he gave me his manager's number."
When she got home, her mother was waiting up and asked, "did you have a good time?" and added, "Did you see Frankie at all?"
April responded: "Yeah, mom. Thanks for letting me go. Night. Love you."
She continued meeting up with Frankie, traveling to different cities and states to be with him.
Their relationship went on for years, eventually coming to an end.
GOLDEN CAST
In the first season of The Golden Bachelor, a slew of eligible older ladies will compete for Gerry's heart.
April is just one of many hopefuls.
She's a Florida native who works as a therapist and is a big fan of Taylor Swift.
She reportedly has dreams of becoming a bestselling author someday.
There are 22 women total competing on The Golden Bachelor.
Gerry, for his part, has said that his hopes for the season are this: "I want to fall in love.
"I really want to find my person who can put me in my place when I need it and make me smile at it.
"The person who can lay down beside you at night, not have to say anything, and you feel it. That's love. That's what I want, and I know that person's out there."
LOVE LOST
Gerry has found love before and lost it.
His wife Toni died in 2017 after they had been married for 43 years.
He opened up about their relationship and the devastating loss in an interview.
The TV personality said of his late wife: "We had 43 wonderful years together. We had two daughters, and I now have two granddaughters."
He went on: "We had a typical but beautiful life full of love, full of activity and as years went on, I retired. We had a plan and we had a plan of what our dream house was going to be.
"So when Toni retired at the end of May in 2017, we bought that dream house. Closed on it on June 6. From June 6 on, it didn't go according to plan at all. You know, she became ill and her situation got worse over a couple of weeks."
Gerry began to break down in tears, saying: "So, we went to the emergency room and she had a bacterial infection that infected her kidneys and infected her liver. So I took my wife to the emergency room on July 7 and she passed away on July 15."
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He continues to honor Toni and their shared dream, living in the house they once shared that overlooks a beautiful lake.
He said: "Every time I look at that lake, I go, 'This is her dream. This is what she deserves. Why am I standing here alone?' It will be six years since she passed away. No one is ever going to replace Toni."
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