‘Rules aren’t my style’

The Golden Bachelor's Catherine in a red dress posing in front of the harbour.
Catherine is an interior designer from Sydney who isn’t afraid to play by her own rules.
Nine Network

When she first stepped into the Golden Bachelor mansion, Catherine Kirwan didn’t expect to spark controversy – but her refusal to stick to the women’s newly created ‘permission to push’ rule set her apart from the start.

“That’s not my style,” Catherine, 56, tells TV WEEK. “That time with Bear [Bear Myrden, the Golden Bachelor] is really short and precious, so that new rule didn’t sit well with me.”
Bear and Catherine hold hands as they meet on the first episode of The Golden Bachelor.

Catherine has her sights set on Bear. (Credit: Nine Network)

The interior designer from Sydney explains that some of the women set the rule when she wasn’t around and, while it was designed to ensure everyone got a chance to chat to Bear uninterrupted, she didn’t fully understand it, so she refused to compromise her values and continued to approach Bear whenever she saw fit.

“There are 20 of us in the house,” she says. “We’re all going to have different views and opinions. Most of the women supported me, but some didn’t.”

Despite the tension, Catherine says there was genuine sisterhood in the mansion – even during moments of emotion at the first group date of the season, which we see this week.
The ladies gather at a cocktail party in the backyard of the mansion on The Golden Bachelor.The ladies come up with their ‘permission to push’ rule while Catherine is out of the house. (Credit: Nine Network)
“Shamsie was quite emotional,” Catherine recalls. “There were obviously a few things that reminded her of a past experience.”

Catherine has also had her fair share of emotional times in her life, having married and divorced twice. She has managed to maintain great friendships with both of her exes, despite some tough times.

“I first married my childhood sweetheart,” Catherine explains. “But over time I wanted more. And with my second husband a few things broke along the way.”
The Golden Bachelor's Catherine in a white bikini at the beach.Creating a new strong body after her marriage breakdown. (Credit: Instagram)
Catherine, who is from a big Greek family, found healing through fitness. “My fitness journey really escalated while my marriage was in turmoil and breaking down around me,” she says.

“I went from not going into a gym for 30 years to doing a bodybuilding competition at 55. I felt incredibly empowered.”

Today Catherine feels stronger than ever – she is just missing having a permanent ‘plus one’, and now she’s searching for him in a very unique way.

Will she find him in Bear?