The Golden Bachelorette’s Joan Vassos Shares How Her Late Husband Inspired Her to Join the Show Amid Chock Chapple Split Rumors

The Golden Bachelorette star Joan Vassos is sharing her journey to becoming part of the Bachelor franchise, revealing how her late husband John Vassos helped push her in the right direction despite breakup rumors about her relationship with Chock Chapple swirling. Throughout The Golden Bachelorette season 1, it was clear that Joan and Chock’s relationship was the one that stood out among the rest. With the pair connecting as easily as they did, the intensity of their relationship was too much for some Bachelor Nation fans, but it was clear they were happy with one another despite the backlash.

In a new interview on the Rogue Energy podcast with fellow Golden Bachelor alum Kathy Swarts, Joan shared how her late husband John led her to follow her path prior to his death in 2021. “Did you and John talk about you getting remarried,” Kathy asked Joan in the clip, and after Joan shared some details about her late husband’s harrowing journey with pancreatic cancer, she explained he was the one who pushed her to join the Bachelor franchise. “He…said, we had a wonderful life together…'I want you to go on living',” Joan shared. “'I want you to find somebody else.'”

What Joan’s Story About Her Late Husband’s Blessing Means

She Went Into The Bachelor Franchise Open-Minded

As Joan has been more open about her life before The Golden Bachelorette in recent interviews, it’s been interesting to see how she’s spoken about her late husband. Sharing more about John, who she shares four children with, is eye-opening as to who Joan is, making it clear that she’s been thinking about finding someone to spend her life with for longer than Bachelor Nation seems to realize. It’s clear that after bonding over losing their partners in similar ways, Joan and Chock were able to connect on a few different levels, especially knowing John pushed Joan to find someone.

Joan made it clear that her late husband wanted her to continue living her life after he lost his, and as things continued after his death, Joan doubled down on the way she engaged with the world. After joining The Golden Bachelor and ultimately becoming The Golden Bachelorette, Joan sharing her story while finding the new love of her life was spurred by her late husband hoping that she would move forward without him to the best of her abilities. While Joan still loves John and always will, she moved into the experience of being The Golden Bachelorette entirely unburdened.

Our Take On Joan’s Relationship With John Influencing Her Engagement To Chock

She Was Happy To Have His Reassurance

As Joan’s relationship with John has always been a guiding force in her life, Joan made it clear to Chock early on that she was looking for someone to move forward with, not stay stuck in the past. While the pair have faced some serious backlash in their relationship, Joan and Chock have had reassurance in each other as they’ve moved ahead. Knowing that John wanted her to be in a new relationship and move forward with her life, The Golden Bachelorette star took her search far more seriously than she would’ve otherwise, keeping her heart open to every possibility.