Big Ed has definitely come a long way when it comes to his 90 Day Fiancé journey. ET spoke with the reality star on Wednesday about TLC cameras following him as he steps back into the dating world on 90 Day: The Single Life, and he gave an update on where things stand between him and his ex-girlfriend, Rose, after their messy breakup in the Philippines.
Ed recently virtually reunited with Rose on 90 Day Bares All, and got some closure with her after their explosive confrontation on the tell-all special that aired in June. He also left the door open when it comes to the two keeping in touch, pointedly telling her as she signed off, "Bye, for now."
Ed tells ET's Melicia Johnson that he did "flirt with the idea" of starting something up again with Rose after their conversation on 90 Day Bares All went so well.
"She looked amazing," he says. "She's modeling. Her career has just taken off. She's building a second story house, I'm so proud of her, but I'm still gonna have to leave that open. Right now, Big Ed's focus is on local love."
"Rose will always have a place in my heart, and she's my friend now," he continues. "So, I don't know. I don't know what the future holds, but for now, Big Ed's immediate theater is local love."
Ed says he's in a great place in his life both mentally and physically after returning heartbroken from the Philippines nine months ago. He's lost 21 pounds and is eating healthier, and also joined six dating websites. He addressed his controversial comments on the premiere of 90 Day: The Single Life, when he said he didn't connect with women his own age, which is why he was looking to date women much younger than him. Ed, who's 55, was seen pursuing a woman named Liz, who is 29 years old. Rose, 24, is also significantly younger than him. Ed tells ET he's trying to broaden his horizons, and put the age range of 36-48 on his dating apps.
"I don't understand what it is about my outlook ... as far as the type of women I like or go for, but they're usually within the 28-32 range," he notes. "I have about 12 friends who are all about that age, it's very platonic. It's just the conversations that we have, and I think that has a lot to do with the fact that I'm kind of just a big kid. I don't really relate, unfortunately ... I just haven't met The One. And I will never let age be a ... like, if I met a beautiful 55-year-old, like, someone like J.Lo, like, I would date her in a second."
Ed has quite the high standards for a potential girlfriend.
"Everybody likes a nice flashy car that goes fast," he cracks. "But no, they have to be pretty -- I mean, obviously -- but they also have to have a big heart, and they have to be kind, and they have to be positive, and secure about who they are 'cause Big Ed comes with some baggage."
Still, Ed does insist he has his limits now.
"I won't go younger than 28 ever again, and probably 28-48 is my range," he shares.
Ed has definitely learned from his past experiences with love, including his divorce from his ex-wife, after he was unfaithful to her. Ed says his divorce almost "killed" him.
"For many, many years, I let that define who I was," he shares. "But, you know, you fall out of love, you do dumb things -- that taught me a lot about myself. And I had a lot of trust issues on my own, like, can I trust my own self to be in a relationship? But probably the biggest lesson there is the hardest thing in the world to live with is guilt, which is why I know I'll never do that again, ever. I will leave the relationship before I would consider doing anything like that."
Ed later talks about his 82-year-old mother now living with him, and while for the most part he says it's great, he does admit to a particularly awkward situation he found himself in after a date.
"There was this one incident, so, I'm dating, and I had this one girl over one night and we went in the Jacuzzi and she ended up spending the night and we woke up the next morning and our wet swimming trunks were hanging on my door knob," he recalls. "So in a way it's like, 'Well, Ed, I want you have to fun and date, just make sure you keep it PG and clean up after yourself.'"
New episodes of 90 Day: The Single Life drop Sundays on Discovery+.
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