Golden Bachelor Theresa Nist Opens Up About Short-Lived Marriage to Gerry Turner, Fans Praise her Resilience at 70

The Golden Bachelor star Theresa Nist has shared her heartbreak over the breakdown of her marriage to Gerry Turner after just three months.

Nist, 70, wed Turner, 72 in January following the inaugural season of the dating show for seniors – but shocked fans on Friday when they announced their split and Turner filed for divorce.

‘Theresa and I have had a number of heart-to-heart conversations, and we’ve looked closely at our situation, our living situation, so forth and – and we’ve kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it’s probably time for us to – dissolve our marriage,’ Gerry told GMA host Juju Chang.

He admitted that their decision to separate was motivated in large part by their ‘dedication’ to their respective families – hinting that this has made it incredibly difficult for them to decide on a place to settle down together.

Nist shared a post to Instagram on Monday which read: ‘Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened’ – with fans congratulating her on ‘dodging a bullet’ by splitting from Turner.

The Golden Bachelor star Theresa Nist has shared her heartbreak over the breakdown of her marriage to Gerry Turner after just three months

Gerry, 72, and Theresa, 70, tied the knot in a televised ceremony back in January – but just three months later, they have confirmed they are ‘dissolving’ their marriage

She wrote: ‘To everyone who has expressed love, support and kindness to me I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are all such wonderful human beings. It means the world to me that you took the time to reach out to me, whether in person, on the phone, by text or by direct message. You are all so kind to do so.

‘For everyone else who is confused and angry and who does not understand, please try to find it in your heart to understand and to try a little kindness. Not just for me but for the world and for everyone you encounter.

‘It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, something I never expected to happen at this point in my life and I truly thought it was going to last forever. It turns out, even at the age of 70, you don’t know everything.

‘Sometimes things don’t go the way you planned and that’s okay. I take so many positives away from this experience, most importantly and above all the incredible friends I now have in all of these amazing, wonderful women and in Angie and Jenny, Payton and Charlee, the producers, the production crew and so many of you.

‘I ask you to please stay open to all the experiences, opportunities, and love that may come your way. Keep smiling, keep laughing… I will. I love you all.’

Fans quickly showed their support in the comment section, writing: ‘You’re never too old to dodge a bullet.

A second wrote: ‘Going through a personal situation in the public eye has got to make this so much harder. You brought a lot of positively to us all. I hope we can all support and understand.

Others typed: ‘you’re dodging a major bullet here. sending you so much love’, ‘You gave it a go and decided what was best for you’ and ‘You are a class act, Theresa! I hope many years of love and happiness are on the horizon for both you and Gerry.’

Gerry was presented as a loving retired restaurateur who had not had a single date since his wife of 45 years, Toni, suddenly passed away from an infection in 2017. But an investigation by The Hollywood Reporter released after the finale quickly shattered that reputation

‘Sending so many happy vibes. This is called life. None of us have a crystal ball’ another fan wrote.

Both Gerry, a retired restauranteur from Indiana, and Theresa, a securities professional from New Jersey, have kids from past relationships; he has two daughters and two granddaughters, while she has a son, daughter, and six grandsons.

‘The thing that strikes me the most in our conversations, it’s been how dedicated both of us are to our families,’ Gerry explained.

‘So we look at these situations and I think we just feel like it’s best for the happiness of each of us to live apart.’

However, Theresa insisted that the former couple tried their utmost to reach a compromise that would work for both of their families, revealing that they had looked at different locations across the country in the hopes of finding a ideal home to start their new lives together.

‘We looked at homes in South Carolina, we considered New Jersey, and we just looked at home after home, but we never got to the point where we made that decision,’ she said.

‘We have received so much love and support from so many people who watched The Golden Bachelor, and I don’t think we can tell you how many people told us that it gave them so much hope,’ Theresa added. ‘We want none of that to change for anybody.’

When asked if they ‘fell out of love,’ Gerry insisted, ‘No. I still love this person. There’s no doubt in my mind, I am still in love with her and still root for her every day.’

‘We’ve kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it’s probably time for us to – dissolve our marriage,’ Gerry said during an interview with GMA today

It seems as though the couple struggled to decide on a place to settle down together, as they were still living in separate homes three months after their nuptials. Gerry’s home is seen

Gerry was living at his lake house in Northern Indiana, while Theresa remained in her house in New Jersey (seen), where she’d been living with her family

They added that they were going to have to ‘give their rings back,’ but that they were happy they could keep ‘the memories’ that they shared.

The couple met on the first season of the Golden Bachelor, which premiered late last year, and Gerry proposed during the show’s finale.

They then tied the knot in January during a televised wedding, with Theresa gushing in her vows, ‘I promise to be your calm in a storm, to comfort you when you’re sad, to laugh with you when you’re happy, and just stick with you throughout it all.’

In an interview with GMA after the wedding, they insisted that they had ‘found their person.’

Gerry and Theresa’s shock announcement comes just days after it was revealed the pair were still living in separate homes three months after their nuptials.

Gerry pulled on the hearts of millions when he appeared on the show, as he was presented as a loving retired restaurateur who had not had a single date since his wife of 45 years, Toni, suddenly passed away from an infection in 2017.

But an investigation by The Hollywood Reporter released after the finale quickly shattered that reputation.

The publication reported that he had a professional and personal history that did not match with the persona of a grieving man who hadn’t gone on a first date in decades.

Instead, it claimed that he had a secret past that included a three-year relationship after the death of his wife and various blue-collar jobs.

He reportedly dated a woman named Carolyn, who is 14 years his junior and claimed he dumped her because she gained 10 pounds.

In addition, his LinkedIn profile showed that he had not owned a restaurant since 1985, when he sold his Mr Quick hamburger franchise in Iowa, where had worked his way up since high school.

But an investigation released after the finale quickly shattered that reputation, claiming he dated a woman for three years after his wife died. He’s seen with his late wife

Since then, he worked various sales and management jobs in the meat industry, per his resume on the website – despite the show claiming he had been retired for decades. He also worked installing hot tubs and as a maintenance man in Iowa.

It was during his time as a maintenance man at the Vera French Mental Health Center in Davenport that he met Carolyn, but the two did not get together until two months after his wife died.

Carolyn told The Hollywood Reporter the two began dating after Gerry called her following his wife’s death to ask for help donating some clothes to charity.

She claimed she quit her job to move in with him in July 2018, but things soon went south, as his demands began to emerge.

For example, she alleged that he he soon informed Carolyn she would have to pay about $1,000 a month for her share of expenses, which she managed to negotiate down to $850.

Gerry was reportedly so concerned with dividing costs that Carolyn would pay for her meals at restaurants beforehand so when the check came, he could pretend he was paying the whole tab.

The reality star was also allegedly obsessed with cleanliness and demanded Carolyn make the bed every morning before they had breakfast.

The romance ended in late 2019, when, according to Carolyn, Gerry said he would not be taking her to his high school reunion because of her weight.

The Golden Bachelor then allegedly told Carolyn she had to be out of the house by January 1, 2020, according to THR, which reviewed emails and texts between the former couple and spoke to people who witnessed the relationship.

Carolyn fell down the stairs while she packed and required emergency surgery – but said Gerry accused her of using the fall as an excuse to extend her stay at his home and claimed she was planning on suing him over it.

He reportedly wouldn’t even let her stay at the home while she finished the two weeks of notice she had to give at her new job in Indiana, forcing her to stay at a hotel, she claimed.

When asked if the scandal ‘played in’ to their split, Theresa insisted, ‘No. Gerry had already discussed that with me and explained it before the report was ever released. So we were good with that.’

People quickly rushed to social media to share their thoughts on the divorce – and many admitted that they were ‘not surprised.’

‘The thing that strikes me the most in our conversations, it’s been how dedicated both of us are to our families,’ he explained

‘Oh no surprise there,’ one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Another agreed, ‘Hate to say it but not really… Told ya so.’

‘Are we surprised?’ someone else asked, while a fourth person simply stated, ‘Called this one.’

Others said they ‘understood’ their situation, with a fifth tweet reading, ‘Most women in her 70s would tell you, “My grandkids and kids are everything.” I wouldn’t move away from my family for anything. Especially a man. Nope.’

A sixth said, ‘At that age, who wants to give up their life and family to go and live with some stranger that just came into your life? You don’t have much time left. Spend it with family.’