Golden Bachelor alum Gerry Turner has left Redditors with a thorn in their side after he made stinging comments about his ex-wife Theresa Nist in a new interview.
The widower said ‘I do’ to Nist last year after getting engaged on his season of The Golden Bachelor, a spin-off of The Bachelor franchise that follows senior citizens searching for love.
But the marriage lasted just three months before they announced their separation and ultimately parted ways for good.
Turner, who is now engaged to retired teacher Lana Sutton, spoke with Us Weekly about his upcoming memoir The Golden Years – and says he now believes Nist wasn’t on the show ‘for the right reasons’.
Turner rehashed other issues they had in their relationship, including her desire to continue working after the show despite telling him she would quit for ‘the right guy’.
He even had a word of warning for his ex, telling Us when asked if he was worried about Nist reading the memoir: ‘I’m not worried; I think she should be worried.’
Golden Bachelor alum Gerry Turner spilled the tea on how the rose-tinted glasses of his relationship with ex Theresa Nist have been pulled off – and Reddit is none too pleased with his assessment of his former spouse
The former couple’s marriage was short-lived after they met on the reality show
Redditors had a field day dissecting the interview, with one branding him a ‘creep.’
‘He’s such a creep. We knew he picked Theresa for the money, so he has no room to speak. I don’t think he realizes he’d be a lot more likeable if he kept his mouth shut,’ one netizen posted.
‘Oh please…’ another wrote.
‘Ah yes the tale old as time: the woman is the villain because she won’t give up her life to cater to the man’s wants. I’d argue you can still work AND travel your heart out! But it sounds like Gerry wants a tradwife and in that case I’m glad Theresa got away!’
While another had reservations about adding to the dogpile due to Turner’s cancer diagnosis, they still were critical about his comments.
‘Are you worried at all about her reading the book? I’m not worried; I think she should be worried.
‘Ummmmm I don’t want to s**t talk an elderly person with cancer but that is such a low down classless thing to say. Literally anyone who watched the show could see how much Theresa was in love with him. God forbid a woman should want to keep a career that fulfills her and makes her happy… Stay classy Gerry.’
One pointed out the paradox of Turner calling out Nist for not being on the show for the right reasons yet seeking the spotlight himself.
‘rich to call Theresa notFTRR coming from a guy who’s the one one ont he cover of Us and writing a memoir.’
Turner admitted he felt ’empty’ the day he proposed to Nist due to a very heavy conversation he had with Theresa Nist the night prior where they ended their romance
Turner, a widower, was looking for another chance for love last year
He admitted to Faith Martin – who came third in the show – that he was feeling ‘trapped’ prior to walking down the aisle
In his Us interview, Turner said he initially believed she had pure intentions when she joined the show.
‘During the show, I did not have a feeling that that’s what was going on. In retrospect, when I’d start hearing comments or putting pieces together, I’d go, “Oh, now that comment makes more sense.”’
His perception on that changed: ‘It’s one of those litmus tests for women on the show — are they there for the right reasons? I gave Theresa full credit that she was… and then, as time went by, I kind of had to change my mind on that.’
Turner also claimed Nist had told him she was willing to quit her job for the ‘right guy’ – but continued working after their proposal.
‘On the show, I asked Theresa if she was ready to quit her job. She said, “When I meet the right guy, I’m ready to end my career.” What I heard was, “There is a woman who’s going to be willing to travel, to have some adventure to do, some things that I consider and that we should consider fun.”
‘And then after the show, she always went back to, “Well, I really want to keep working.” And that just pretty much makes it an impossible situation.’
Turner confessed to not feeling ‘overjoyed’ the day of their wedding
Turner was also asked why he believes his ex portrayed him as the villain in their split, saying she went ahead and made a statement after they announced their separation on Good Morning America, going against advice they were given over how to proceed.
‘We were strongly advised not to make any independent statements [after GMA]. Literally 48 hours later, she was making a statement to social media. And I go, “No, that was not what we agreed to do. That was not our plan.”‘
Other brutal revelations Turner made in the book were that he felt ’empty’ during his proposal to Nist and ‘trapped’ prior to their wedding.
Turner said he struggled emotionally the day of their proposal as he had just broken up with his runner-up Leslie Fhima the night prior and was not in the best headspace.
Gerry has since announced his engagement to Lana Sutton, a retired school teacher
Turner told Us of the proposal: ‘So 12 or 14 hours later, I’m proposing to someone else and the joy wasn’t there. I felt like I was going through the motions of what I had expected and what I needed to do, but not that I was gleefully doing and not that I, really, wanted to be in that moment at that time.
‘If it had been even a 24 hour or 48 hour window where I could have processed what had happened, I think it would have made me feel a lot different.’
Not only that, but he told Faith Martin – who came third in the show – that he felt ‘trapped’ prior to walking down the aisle.
When asked by Us why he went ahead with the wedding, he replied: ‘Commitment is a big thing, and I felt like I was doing the right thing. I just didn’t feel overjoyed about it. So much of the book is about how I felt at certain moments, and that’s only a momentary truth… I had second thoughts, but I don’t think [they] were exaggerated from anyone’s normal second thoughts.’
Now knowing Turner’s apprehension, Nist says she wishes her ex had broken things off earlier rather than say ‘I do.’
‘It makes me very sad to think that he felt empty and trapped. I wish he had said something and just ended it,’ she told the publication in a statement. ‘But at least now I understand why he was so hurtful to me so many times. And I will say this. Those in glass houses should not throw stones. I do wish him all the best.’
