Golden Bachelorette's Joan Vassos Says She's 'Not Putting Pressure' on Getting Married to Chock Chapple: 'We're Enjoying What We Have'

Joan Vassos, who met her fiancé, Chock Chapple, on The Golden Bachelorette, is not thinking about a wedding just yet.

"We’re not putting pressure on it. We’re having a great time, and honestly, we don’t feel the need to rush," the blonde beauty, 63, who is once again partnering as an ambassador with The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) —the leading pancreatic cancer nonprofit — for PurpleStride, a nationwide charity walk happening on Saturday, April 25, exclusively tells OK!. "At this stage in life, people ask, 'Why get married?' and it’s a fair question. We’re enjoying what we have right now."

"It’s a lot of work, honestly. We thought we would early on, but life looks different from what we expected. We have all these opportunities, and we’re enjoying them. We’re still kind of on that ride," she continues.

The pair — who got engaged during the November 13, 2024, finale of The Golden Bachelorette — are "not ready" to leave the honeymoon phase.

"When I talk to people in this stage of life, they ask why we need to get married. Maybe eventually, but we’re not rushing," she shares.

Though the couple is long-distance, they manage to see each other a bunch.

"He’s in Kansas, I’m in Maryland. There’s a direct flight, thankfully. We try not to go more than a couple of weeks without seeing each other, but sometimes it happens," she reveals.

Vassos, whose late husband, John, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in February 2019 and passed away in 2021, went on the show to try to get out of her comfort zone.

"I remember it perfectly. I did actually go on the show thinking I’m not going to talk a lot about this. It’s not a fun subject. It’s not something you would normally find on a show where people are trying to find love. So it wasn’t my intent, but it all just kind of flowed out of me," she recalls of talking about John's cancer battle. "And I thought, I got this opportunity to talk about my late husband and to talk about our experience. And I felt like I needed — anybody that was maybe going to be a love interest for me deserved to know my story. So it ended up just being on TV, even though I was doing it really maybe more to connect with the men. A lot of them had lost their spouses to different kinds of cancers and illnesses. So weirdly, when you get into the Golden shows, you have different links. The younger shows, they’re talking about love and loss and appearance or bad relationships. We have these longer histories, and my history happened to be my husband passing away from this terrible disease. So it ended up being on TV."

She adds, "We all have a story. And even if people’s stories aren’t the same as mine, having lost a spouse to anything is traumatic and defining. It stays with you. It’s not like you leave that story when you start another one. It flows into the rest of your life. So it felt good to share it. Like I said, it wasn’t my intent, but once I did, I felt like I did the right thing. It puts it out in the world. In the meantime, I got to honor John. I got to talk about him a little bit. He’ll always be a part of me. I have another love in my life, but John will always be a part of me."

Now, the ABC star is all about spreading the word about early detection and being an ambassador with The Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) —the leading pancreatic cancer nonprofit — for PurpleStride, a nationwide charity walk happening on Saturday, April 25. Taking place in more than 50 communities, the organization’s signature fundraiser has raised over $17.6 million to date.

"I do have a big connection to it. This Saturday, April 25th, we’re gathering in 50 communities across the United States for the national PanCAN PurpleStride Walk. It benefits PanCAN, which does incredible work to ultimately find a cure for pancreatic cancer. They advocate for more research, early detection and better treatment options," she shares.

"I love it. Last year was my first year, and I served as the ambassador for the Washington, D.C. walk. I was amazed at how many people showed up. It’s a celebration of survivors — which is rare with this cancer — and also a way to honor loved ones we’ve lost," she continues. "It’s such a strong community because everyone there has a connection to this disease. We’re all taking something deeply personal and trying to turn it into something meaningful."

Last year, Vassos was "amazed" at how many people turned up to the event. "It’s a celebration of survivors — which is rare with this cancer — and also a way to honor loved ones we’ve lost," she notes. "It’s such a strong community because everyone there has a connection to this disease. We’re all taking something deeply personal and trying to turn it into something meaningful."

She concludes: "We have to keep talking about it. Not much has changed since last year — survival rates are still low, and there’s still no early detection test like a mammogram or colonoscopy. Pancreatic cancer is very hard to diagnose because the symptoms mimic other conditions. For example, my husband’s only symptom was itching. We spent three months trying to figure out what was wrong. For a fast-moving cancer, that’s a long time. Early detection is critical, and awareness is the first step. There’s still no early detection method. That’s huge. Pay attention to unusual symptoms and don’t ignore them. We also need funding. Pancreatic cancer is currently the third leading cause of cancer-related deaths in the U.S., and it’s on track to become the second. If you can donate — even a small amount — it helps move research forward. Awareness and funding are critical."