Golden Bachelorette's Guy Gansert Addresses Ex's Past Restraining Order Filing

Another Golden Bachelorette contestant is speaking out after their past has come to the surface.

The ex-wife of Guy Gansen, one of several hopefuls competing for Joan Vassos' final rose on the ABC dating show, filed for a temporary protection order against the contestant in 2021 before withdrawing the application three weeks later, according to court records obtained by E! News Oct. 10.

Gansen—an emergency room doctor from Reno, Nevada—addressed the matter on social media.

"This was an unfortunate situation that occurred during an incredibly stressful time for me and my former spouse and was ultimately resolved when she voluntarily dismissed her request for a protective order," the 66-year-old said in a statement on Instagram Oct. 10. "Together we crafted a resolution that was agreeable to both parties."

Gansen said he and his ex had recently asked the court to seal her TPO application because they had "hoped to maintain privacy for our family." He added, "But, I know that with being in the public eye comes responsibility."

The reality show contestant, who Joan had chosen on The Golden Bachelorette's most recent Oct. 9 episode to advance to the next round, also reflected on his previous relationship and the way it ended.

"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," he said. "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."

Gansen continued, "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 in my life. I am eternally grateful for them."

As part of her application for a temporary restraining order, Gansen's wife had alleged that the physician had sent her text messages “trying to reconcile then flipping to anger,” and that he later “physically tried to threaten" her, according to an emergency motion obtained by People.

According to the outlet, she also alleged that on the day she filed for the order, which was never put in place before it was dismissed, Gansert had placed something under her tire after running into her with his sister at the gym and then allegedly "motioned like he was going to shoot me with his hand shaped like a pistol."

E! News has reached out to ABC for comment and has not heard back.

A source close to the production told E! News in a statement that they "learned from Mr. Gansert during our vetting process that an application for a Temporary Protective Order was filed against him from his ex-wife after a disagreement but confirmed that it was never granted, as Mr. Gansert’s ex-wife voluntarily dismissed the application shortly after the filing.

The statement continued, "Therefore, he was cleared to continue through the casting process."

The latest news from the franchise comes three weeks after it was revealed that a woman had filed for a temporary domestic violence restraining order against former Golden Bachelorette contestant Gil Ramirez, alleging that he is her ex and had emotionally harassed her.

She filed the papers in June, just days before the inaugural season of ABC's Golden Bachelor spinoff entered production. The order was initially granted and then dismissed after a month due to lack of prosecution.

E! News previously reached out to Ramirez and the TV network for comment and has not heard back.

At the time, a source close to the Golden Bachelorette told E! News that the production was "recently made" aware of the TRO filed against Ramirez.

"This filing occurred in the brief period between completion of our thorough background investigation and exhaustive vetting process, and the beginning of production," the source said. "As a result of this newly confirmed information, we have further edited his already limited screen time and minimized him in promotional assets moving forward."

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