Delco's Susan Noles charmed "The Golden Bachelor" viewers nationwide last fall during her time on the ABC dating show, and her journey in the spotlight was far from over when 72-year-old lead Gerry Turner sent her home.

Noles — a hairstylist and wedding officiant who lives in Aston Township — became a fan-favorite contestant thanks to her no-filter humor, stylish clothing and affinity for Italian cooking. She had made it among Turner's top six, out of a pool of eligible bachelorettes ranging in ages from 60-75 years old, before being eliminated.

RELATED: 'The Bachelor' star Joey Graziadei gets a visit from Delco's Susan Noles in latest episode

There was no bad blood between Noles and Turner when she was nixed during the episode that aired in October. The pair just decided they were better off as friends. Noles said she learned a lot about friendship while on the dating show.

"Friends are a lifetime; sometimes the men aren't," Noles said during an interview via Zoom last week.

Noles was previously married to former Phillies player Dickie Noles, with whom she shares children. Since then, including her stint on "Golden Bachelor," Noles said she's had a few relationships and even hit the dating apps. But now — along with her kids and her own happiness — gal pals take center stage in Noles' life. She made friends with several of her fellow "Golden Bachelor" contestants, forming the girl group "ASKN." 

Those friendships have lasted beyond the season finale of "Golden Bachelor." Noles has vacationed with some of the contestants, made a cameo on Montgomery County-native Joey Graziadei's season of "The Bachelor" with her "ASKN" girls, and was asked to officiate the wedding of her "Golden Bachelor" bestie Kathy Swarts' son in Texas later this month.

She has formed so many close bonds that recently, her cousin jokingly told her, "You're not accepting new friends!"

John Fleenor/Disney

During her time on 'The Golden Bachelor,' Susan Noles formed close friendships with her fellow contestants.

The influx of new relationships isn't something Noles expected at this point in her life: She just turned 67 on Saturday, March 2. 

"Ew, I don't want to be 67 at all! Although I do like odd numbers, so that's good," Noles said, adding that she'd be celebrating with several dinners out in Delco. (If she were venturing into the city, though, she would hit up her favorite restaurant in South Philly: the Saloon on 7th Street.)

In addition to IRL buddies, Noles has also gained plenty of fans online. She has more than 100,000 followers on Instagram and nearly 14,000 on TikTok. Over on X (formerly Twitter), she has been referred to as "the people's golden bachelorette." She said she is enjoying running her social media for now, even if it means learning a TikTok dance or two.

"Honestly, I'm having fun doing it," Noles said of her newfound internet fame. "You know, hopefully something great will come out of this. Like, I'll be in love and happily ever after or have my own TV show. I mean, I'll go either way."

As anyone with a social media account can confirm, the internet is not all rainbows and butterflies. Noles deals with her fair share of online haters. While she usually takes the high road, she admitted that some commenters are especially "cruel."  She recalled one user who told her, "You better get a new dentist, your dentures are awful." 

"I put up with it for months, and one night, I just wasn't feeling great," Noles said. "And I read it again. ... I responded and said, 'That wasn't very nice. Do you know what the word 'kind' means? And FYI, they are not dentures. They're implants. And they cost a fortune. If you spent that much money, what color teeth would you get?' I mean, really? I'm gonna get the whitest ones out there!"

Faceless internet trolls have not prevented Noles from feeling like the positives of her new fame outweigh the negatives — positives like a shoutout from her celeb-lookalike Kris Jenner and her recent cameo on "The Bachelor."

In January, Noles officiated the televised wedding of Turner and his "Golden Bachelor" winner, 70-year-old New Jersey resident Theresa Nist. Not only did the Golden Wedding offer Noles the spotlight to show off her officiating — which she starting doing in 2011 and led to the creation of her business Nuptials by Noles — but it also demonstrated the friendships she formed with both Turner and Nist.

Even bigger opportunities could be on the horizon for Noles. On the heels of the success of "The Golden Bachelor," ABC announced a "Golden Bachelorette" spinoff slated for the fall. The show will "highlight one radiant woman's second chance at love in her golden years," according to the network. For its "Bachelor" franchise leads, ABC usually chooses among the pool of fan-favorite contestants from previous seasons.

So, could that "radiant woman" be Noles?

In her recent conversation with PhillyVoice, Noles talks about reality TV stardom, dating in Delco and the skyrocketing number of requests for her officiating business. She also teases another upcoming appearance on Graziadei's season of "The Bachelor" and jokes that Philadelphians may "burn down the city" if she's not chosen to be "The Golden Bachelorette."  

This interview has been edited for length and clarity. 

PhillyVoice: How are you? What have you been up to lately?

Susan Noles: I've been running like a crazy person and loving every minute of it.

PV: Amazing! So, everyone obviously knows you as a Delco queen, but were you always from the Philadelphia area?

Noles: Yes, born and raised here. I did live in Texas when I was married and my ex was a baseball player. We were there nine years. That's where I had my children. But then I came back.

PV: And where did you go to school growing up?

Noles: I went to an all-girls Catholic high school, Notre Dame, and then Our Lady of Charity (a now-closed school in Brookhaven) for the first eight years.

PV: In your professional career, you've been a hairstylist and makeup artist. Then you also got into wedding officiating. Has that totally blown up since being on TV?

Noles: Oh my goodness, that's why I don't know which end is up right now. And they're asking me for next year. I still don't even know if I'm gonna be alive, but okay. They're like, 'Can I send you a deposit?' I go, 'Please don't. I will mark your name in my book. Check back in,' you know, 'But I'll save the date for you.' Yeah, so that's been fabulous. And I love doing weddings.

PV: With officiating weddings and becoming an expert in that, do you feel like working with so many couples gives you insight on what makes true love work and what makes a good match?

Noles: You know what's funny? A lot of them today have met on dating sites, it's unbelievable the amount of people. And I tease with them and said, 'Yeah, I've tried that too. I tried national TV and I still don't have a date.' But you know, I'm easy to love and I love easy. It's just now I know myself, and what works for me and what doesn't. 

PV: Do you feel like after trying to finding love on TV and going through that process, that it is a setting where people can find true love, like in 'The Bachelor' franchise? 

Noles: Oh, I totally believe in it. Look at Gerry and Theresa. I wish he was my guy. But when I got there, we got to know each other; we were so in the friends department. Like I was there for him. And we still have that bond today. But it wasn't that mutual ... like we were both in the friend zone, which I loved every minute of that. But you know when you look at somebody and it's a feeling you get. And everybody says, 'Oh, your DMs are going to be overloaded with dates.' That's not true. Or maybe I'm a lot, you know.

John Fleenor/Disney

Susan Noles bonded with 'Golden Bachelor' lead Gerry Turner, but they ultimately shared a close friendship rather than a romantic connection.

PV: Are you back in the Philly region now?

Noles: I'm home. I'm in Delaware County.

PV: And what's the dating scene like in Delco?

Noles: Zero. But I haven't gone back on the the apps. I don't think I'm going to. I did that for a long time. I've had a couple of relationships, but I think I kind of knew they weren't the forever person. And I had some decent relationships, but knowing that I didn't want to grow old with that person, you know? I think I'm looking at it differently. As far as I want to find my best friend, not just the physical attraction anymore. I want to get to know somebody, and I've quoted this a billion times: I used to believe that I was a woman that needed a man. But now I know, I'm a woman that a man needs.

PV: Love that quote; you need to make T-shirts or something! Speaking of dating, is there anything that gives you 'the ick,' to use a new phrase? Like, when you're talking with a guy is there anything that just totally turns you off to him?

Noles: What turns me off when talking to somebody? When I see narcissism, or it's all about them. I know guys, sometimes, they're uncomfortable the first conversation, and I'll give them the benefit of doubt. But if they're not asking me questions, that's a red flag.

PV: Yeah, and that's a huge problem with dating. Now, I feel like guys, or people in general, might just get there and start talking about themselves. But it's got to be a two way street.

Noles: Yeah, exactly. Now, especially ... not that I'm dating, but, of course, they're going to talk to me about my experience (on 'Golden Bachelor'), so I'll have a good conversation, but you don't want to go too much into that.

PV: I also loved seeing you on 'The Bachelor.' Joey seems awesome. He's also a local guy. So what was that like meeting him? What's he actually like in person? 

Noles: Oh, my gosh, so he came to our pickleball game (on 'Golden Bachelor'). And it's funny, because when I saw him to give us lessons, I thought, 'He's going to be the next Bachelor. He wouldn't be here (if not).' I was right!

Yeah, he is one decent, adorable — I couldn't give him enough praise. I mean, he's a good guy. He really is. I'm watching him and I'll be on (March 11) on his show. I went down to do some things on the overnights and got to know the girls. I was there for the one date thing, the 'Mrs. Right' date (on Episode 3). When we talked about who we were going to pick or who he was going to pick ... I noticed some of them made eye contact with him. And do you know, that's exactly (he noticed, too). I said, 'And that's really stepping out of their comfort zones. You know? that that was big,' and he paid attention to that. So he's just an all around great guy.

John Fleenor/Disney

Susan Noles — and her 'Golden Bachelor' pals Nancy Hulkower, Kathy Swarts and April Kirkwood — made a cameo earlier this season of 'The Bachelor' to help lead Joey Graziadei judge the 'Mrs. Right' pageant.

PV: What were your thoughts when hearing about 'The Golden Bachelorette?' Were you surprised? Or did you feel like it was kind of inevitable given all the hype around 'Golden Bachelor?'

Noles: Because of America, they had to do it. They have to, I mean, people love that show. And it was such a success. They didn't know which way it was going to go, which is why we only had an hour (Other shows in the 'Bachelor' franchise have two-hour episodes) and we like to leave them wanting more, you know? There was a lot of positive. Even young people watch this show, not just people my age. And men; more men watch the show than ever. I can't go anywhere without taking selfies with people. It's just crazy. I'm so impressed by the people and what they know about the show and about my personality. It's really awesome.

PV: Being in Delco, are you stopped a lot for selfies?

Noles: Every day, five times a day can't go food shopping. I went to Marshalls, at least five selfies. And I look like 'who did it and ran,' I just came from having my face lasered. And I got all this guck on my face. They're like, 'Please.' I go, 'Look at me!' 'Well, I won't put it online. I just want to show my mom!'

PV: Exactly! I was so excited to tell my friends and family I was talking to you because like you said, it spans generations.

Noles: It's amazing. I'm having a great time. As you can tell from the show, I love people: men, women, children, I mean I'm just all about making somebody smile. 

PV: And I mean, from your season —  and then even with appearing on 'The Bachelor' — you and your friends from 'Golden Bachelor' have such a funny rapport. You need to go on tour or something!

Noles: Kathy and I, absolutely, they just need to write us a paycheck and give us a show. I mean, we can finish each other's sentences. We're night and day, but yet we're the same in a sense. We just roll off each other, and it's so easy. I mean, all the girls, I've made friends with so many people I just was talking to Theresa a couple minutes ago before this. It's just great. Who would have thought at my age that I'd make all these new friends?

PV: I feel like you did reveal so much throughout your time on the show; you were always very open. But is there something you can think of that people may not know about you from watching you on TV?

Noles: I'm a Pisces. My birthday is Saturday (March 2), actually. I'm very emotional. I get my feelings hurt easy. And I think my loudness and my big personality covers up the sensitive side of me. I wear my heart on my sleeve. I think it would have been a little bit different — not a lot different, because I am who I am — if I had that heartfelt thing for Gerry, it might have shown a different side of me. But a lot of people express their opinions, obviously, online and it's crazy, more positive than negative by far. But some of them say, 'Well, they'll never find men strong enough to go through Susan's personality.' And I don't think that's true.

John Fleenor/ABC

Susan Noles displayed her fun-loving personality during her time on 'The Golden Bachelor,' like when she popped out of a giant cake during the second episode.

PV: Don't listen to the haters!

Noles: It's terrible, the things people say, and they're like, 'If she's the Golden Bachelorette,' I'm not watching.' And, 'You had your 15 minutes of fame why do you keep posting?' Like, because people love this so I'm giving them more. Why are you on my page looking? 

PV: I have to ask, of course, about officiating the 'Golden Wedding.' As someone who's always watched the show, it just looked like a huge party with people from all shows across the 'Bachelor' franchise, you know? So do you have a favorite moment from doing that?

Noles: So I have an unfavorite moment because I wasn't allowed to go out on the 'gold carpet' and mingle with everybody. I thought I was and they said, 'No, Susan, we don't want you to be seen.' My favorite moment, no one saw. It's when my producer Eric walked me up and I took this big breath. And I was nervous; I haven't done this live. And I turned to him and he had tears in his eyes. And I was like, 'No, don't do it. Now, I'm crying. What are you doing?' He said, 'I am so proud of you.' And I go, 'Oh, Eric!' That was so special to me. That was my best moment.

James Clark/Disney

Susan Noles officiated 'The Golden' wedding, between Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist, in January.

PV: Why do you think 'The Golden Bachelor,' and soon 'The Golden Bachelorette,' strike a chord? And why is it so popular with people of all ages in your opinion?

Noles: It's something that I've said 20 years ago, when 'Bachelor' first came out, why don't they do something for people our age? Half of America is our age. We're not dead yet. We still have so much life. And my message to everyone from this experience is it's never too late. Not even just to fall in love; to make friends, to enjoy yourself. We don't have to stay home and sit on the couch and crochet or whatever people do. I don't know. You can still do that as a hobby. But get out in the world. It's a beautiful world. And we don't know when our last day is gonna be. So get up and enjoy it.

PV: I really appreciate you taking the time to talk with me. I just finally wanted to ask if you could say anything about what's next for you. I feel like people just love seeing you, and would love to know what you have going on next!

Noles: As Philly will say, they're gonna burn down the city if I'm not the Golden Bachelorette. And I'm ready people. I'm ready! ... This city will go insane, and I love the love. You know Philly, obviously. I mean, our fans for our athletes — When you're bad, you're bad. They're gonna let you know you're bad, like we don't hold back. And I just love that about Philly and, yeah, my Delco accent and all that good stuff. (When Philadelphians) love you, they love you and they support you. And it's a wonderful feeling.