Inaugural Golden Bachelor Bear Myrden has 20 women vying for his heart
It was Bear Myrden’s sons who inspired him to take part in Nine’s reality show, The Golden Bachelor Australia. The 61-year-old had turned down an opportunity to be involved twice, before deciding on the third go that he should take a chance on the show. It was a decision that saw the Frenchs Forest local meet and date 20 women over six weeks of filming in a quest to find his soulmate following the death of his wife 14 years ago.
“I thought about how I instill in my boys to take risks and go jump at opportunities and here I was not doing that,” Bear explains. “And I said, ‘You know, why not?’”
Bear has been a single father to his sons Declan, 18, Jack, 21, and Charlie, 22, since his wife Audrey passed away in 2011, having suffered a malignant brain tumour.
Bear and his boys are a tight family unit who enjoy going to the gym, keeping fit, and spending time at their favourite café in Manly together. So he was keen to seek their blessing prior to going on the show. “They’re very protective of me, so initially they were very uncertain,” he explains. “Once they found out I was in really good hands and that I could probably find my soulmate, they were more than supportive.”
Bear’s youngest Declan was just one when Audrey was diagnosed, and with the couple having moved to Australia from Canada some years earlier, they had no family nearby to help. “(Audrey) lasted three years and four surgeries and basically never came home from the fourth one, so it was quite sudden and quite devastating,” Bear says, adding that he received a lot of support from his Australian friends and the local community.
In the years since, Bear, who manages data centres, has been focused on his family. “I just went into survival mode. My needs were secondary to anything else,” he says. “I was just looking after the boys and making sure they were fed (and sorting) daycare, school, house, bills – you name it.
“It’s only been in the last year or so that I’ve lifted my head and gone, ‘Okay, maybe I should focus on myself a little bit.’”
The fact he is a ‘Golden’ Bachelor is a nod to his age, this show differing from the usual Bachelor series which involve younger singles. And while he has dated since Audrey’s passing, he felt more focused this time around on finding a partner.
“It’s a really profound way of meeting women and just being able to make very positive and assured decisions,” Bear says, adding that the show gave him the opportunity to go on some dates, or experiences, ‘that money can’t buy.’ Not to mention his debut at The Logies!
He admits being the bachelor was a unique way of meeting women very quickly. “And they had to choose me as well,” Bear adds, pointing out that it was a ‘two-way street.’ “These women were very strong and courageous as well. They had to do their own soul searching.”
Standing at 193cm (6’4”) tall, Bear looked the part in a black suit and bow tie when the show debuted on 20 October. Waiting to meet him were 20 women including a doctor, an age transformation coach and a radio personality.
At the time of print we are yet to see which lucky lady will capture his heart. Watch Bear’s progress on The Golden Bachelor Australia, Channel 9 and 9Now.