The Golden Bachelorette's Guy Gansert Speaks Out on Ex-Wife's Past Restraining Order: This 'Does Not Represent Who I Am'

A 2021 filing for a temporary protective order against a current contestant on The Golden Bachelorette has resurfaced.

On Oct. 10, Gansert (who is still vying for Joan Vassos' heart on The Golden Bachelorette) came forward to address the filing with a lengthy statement on Instagram.

"I would like to respond to articles about a personal matter from 2021,” he began. “This was an unfortunate situation that occurred during an incredibly stressful time for me and my former spouse and was ultimately resolved when she voluntary [sic] dismissed her request for a protective order. Together we crafted a resolution that was agreeable to both parties."

"My ex-wife and I recently asked the court to seal her application for the protective order as we had hoped to maintain privacy for our family,” he continued, referring to a joint Sept. 30 request to seal the case. “But, I know that with being in the public eye comes responsibility. My ex-wife and I were married for 34 years and in that time had four children who we raised together and deeply love. They are my greatest accomplishment. My divorce was extremely difficult for me and led me to a very low point in my life and as a result I acted in a way that does not represent who I am."

He concluded: "The past few years have caused me to conduct a deep personal evaluation, and I will always continue to work to improve myself. I am so appreciative of The Golden Bachelorette and Bachelor Nation as well as my family, who have been exceptionally supportive during the most difficult times of my life. I am eternally grateful for them."

On Oct. 12, 2021, O’Gara applied for a temporary restraining order for “45 days only” requesting that Gansert contact her strictly through email only about parenting matters, according to an emergency motion obtained by PEOPLE.

She claimed in the motion that starting in July of that year, she would receive text messages “trying to reconcile then flipping to anger,” and later “physically tried to threaten me.”

The day she filed for the order, she alleged that Gansert had placed something under her tire after running into her with his sister at the gym. He then allegedly "motioned like he was going to shoot me with his hand shaped like a pistol."O’Gara went on to allege that Gansert was “unstable” and told his sister he “took 10 pills,” the contents of which were unclear to O’Gara. 

On Nov. 3, 2021, O’Gara filed a motion to dismiss the application for a protective order, which was never put into place, and the judge granted her request, according to the motion.

In a statement to PEOPLE, O'Gara says: "After years of marriage, Guy and I share four amazing children and a new grandson. While our divorce was very difficult, to protect our family’s privacy and to move forward, we reached a mutual resolution and have chosen not to comment about it publicly."

ABC has not publicly commented on the situation involving Gansert, but a source close to the production of The Golden Bachelorette tells PEOPLE that they “learned from Gansert during our vetting process that an application for a Temporary Protective Order was filed against him from his ex-wife after a disagreement."

The source notes production then “confirmed that it was never granted, as Gansert’s ex-wife voluntarily dismissed the application shortly after the filing. Therefore, he was cleared to continue through the casting process.”