Wedding Ideas

‘Golden Bachelor’ Couple Divorcing After 3 Months of Marriage

Posted on April 12, 2024 by Jacqueline Larcara

The Golden Bachelor Wedding aired on January 4, 2024. Theresa Nist married Gerry Turner.
Photo: Courtesy of Disney/John & Joseph Photography

It’s sad news for fans of the Golden Bachelor.

Jersey girl Theresa Nist and Indiana retiree Gerry Turner are divorcing after just three months of marriage.

“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 said on Good Morning America on Friday in a joint interview with Theresa.

Theresa, 70, and Gerry, 72, were the Bachelor franchise’s first senior-aged couple, turning to the show to find love after each lost their spouse in recent years.

Friday’s divorce announcement comes as a surprise to the fans who cheered on the likable duo, who found love again later in life.

New Jersey Bride conducted an interview with Theresa in March, where she talked about falling in love on TV and making their relationship work off camera, and didn’t hint of an impending split.

The Golden Bachelor Wedding aired on January 4, 2024. Theresa Nist married Gerry Turner.
Photo: Courtesy of Disney/John & Joseph Photography

Since their January 4 wedding, which was televised for ABC at La Quinta Resort & Club in California, the newlyweds have been in a long-distance relationship, with Gerry living in Indiana and Theresa in New Jersey. She told us in March that they were still figuring out where to settle down, but that they were considering either New Jersey or the Charleston, South Carolina area.

“There’s a lot going on here and he sees the advantage of that,” said Theresa, who was born in Jersey City and lived in Bayonne and Cranford before moving to Shrewsbury 14 years ago. “You don’t realize how much you love New Jersey until you think, oh, I might be moving. New Jersey’s great. Everybody should know that.”

Deciding to go on reality TV was somewhat of an experiment for Theresa. “Never in my life did I ever expect to be on reality TV,” she told New Jersey Bride. With encouragement from her daughter, Theresa filled out the application for the inaugural season of Golden Bachelor. “I think my mindset was: I’m going to be 70. What the heck?…Let me see what happens.”

To stand out from her 21 fellow contestants, including two others from New Jersey, Theresa made a memorable first impression by revealing her “birthday suit” (a nude-colored outfit) to Gerry. In this silly moment, Theresa was instantly drawn to him. “I really felt an immediate connection,” she previously told us.

As the season progressed, their bond grew stronger. Their main link was that both of their previous spouses, who they were each married to for more than 40 years, had passed away.

During Thersa’s hometown date on the show, she revealed that she had not introduced any man to her family since losing her husband. Her two sisters, daughter, son-in-law and three grandsons, “warmly welcomed us,” said Theresa. “Like, as if they knew Gerry all their lives…They could see me just light up when I was with him and they just felt that we had such a strong connection and that we felt so comfortable with each other.”

On Friday, the couple said they still love each other and that they remain “best friends.” Theresa emphasized that she doesn’t want anyone looking for a partner later in life to be discouraged because of their breakup. “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,” she said. “We want none of that to change for anybody.”

They both said they’ll continue to (separately) try to find love.

They have a prenuptial agreement.

Julie Gordon contributed to this report. 

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