Three years after Matt James found love as the star of The Bachelor, his mother is giving reality romance a shot. Patty James, 70, will appear as a contestant on The Golden Bachelor, premiering Thursday, Sept. 28 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and streaming next-day on Hulu. The all-new spinoff series follows 71-year-old grandfather Gerry Turner's search for a partner with whom to share "the sunset years of life." And Matt James' mom Patty is among the 22 contestants vying for Turner's affection — each of whom is between 60 and 75 years of age.
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What is Patty looking for in Gerry Turner? And what's her relationship like with Matt's girlfriend and Bachelor winner Rachel Kirkconnell? Here's everything we know about Matt James' mom Patty, from her dating life to the surprising activity she still enjoys in her 70s.
She Cherishes Her Two Sons
Patty James via Instagram
Patty is a doting mother to her two sons, Matt and John James. She frequently shares loved-up snaps of the boys on Instagram, and they're not too embarrassed to reciprocate. In a 2021 interview with Good Morning America, Matt expressed his admiration for his mom and all that she did for him and his brother growing up:
"Everything that she sacrificed for myself and my brother to be in the position that we're at, I want to be that for somebody else," he gushed. "And the way that she loved myself and John is how I want to love somebody and how I want to be loved."
She Was Previously Married
ABC
Bachelor fans will recall that Matt publicly made up with his estranged father Manny James on the show. Patty and Manny divorced due to the latter's infidelity when the boys were young, effectively making Patty a single mom. According to her Golden Bachelor bio, she's been single for "almost 30 years."
Manny apologized to Matt during an appearance on his season of The Bachelor, saying, "I'm sorry I hurt you, son. I had to get to this point. Whatever I can do to make it better, I'll work on it. I want you to be happy for the rest of your life and I want you to have a relationship that's healthy and not like what I went through."
Matt forgave his father, saying that he wanted him to be part of his life and relationships moving forward. After the emotional episode aired, Matt took to Twitter to reflect on the moment:
"I'm so proud of myself for being vulnerable, and I'm so proud of my mother," he
