Opening up.

After an emotional episode of “The Golden Bachelor,” Nancy stopped by for a candid conversation with Serena Pitt and Joe Amabile about why wearing a wedding dress made her break down and how Gerry supported her in a tough moment.

Nancy discussed the premise of the group date, saying, “We had to pick out an outfit. Some people were running to get the best outfit. I wasn’t sure what to pick, and then more people were picking, so then there were three wedding dresses. I didn’t think anything of it and picked a wedding dress.”

At first, Nancy was okay with her decision until a wave of grief unexpectedly hit her.

She said, “I was fine. I was changing. I was putting on the wedding dress and somebody zips me up and then somebody said, ‘Nancy, you look so beautiful as a bride.’ This wave of 23 years of being married and 25 years of being together hit me. It wasn’t just the dress, it was the reminder of what we had for 25 years. That dress was just the reminder. I broke down.”

Nancy shared how Gerry helped her and related to her during that difficult moment.

She said, “I kept thinking that I was going to be okay, but I wanted to take the dress off, but then I went and talked to Gerry. He knew that I wasn’t doing great and I thought that I was just going to be honest. He said I wasn’t being my normal self, but I just shared that it was really hard for me that day. That’s where I felt like we had a connection.”

Nancy went on, sharing, “He totally could sympathize and then shared the story about his wife and the cinnamon rolls and that he had broken down when he smelled cinnamon rolls because she used to make them. He got teary-eyed and was very sweet. He asked me about my husband, and while I was embarrassed that I was crying, it was this rush of 25 years of truly happy marriage and three kids. He had a long battle with colon cancer and it was just like that all at once.”

The “Golden Bachelor” star shared that while it’s been more than a decade since she lost her husband, grief still shows up in different ways.

She explained, “It’s been 12 years since my husband passed away, so I have dated and I have tried the dating apps and through friends, I just haven’t met the right guy. I have been ready, but that’s happened once or twice before where something reminded me of him and I broke down.”

Nancy continued, saying, “What Gerry and I talked about is that you will always carry that grief with you. That happens to me in private. Sometimes I cry, but now I do smile more and think about my late husband and we talk about him and smile more and cry less. So I think having the wedding dress on and feeling those emotions was good for me.”

Hear more of Nancy’s conversation on the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast below.