Since announcing his divorce from Theresa Nist, The Golden Bachelor season 1’s Gerry Turner has been desperately trying to forget the marriage ever happened. Gerry, a 72-year-old retired restaurateur from Indiana, made a big splash when he was announced as the first lead of TheBachelor spin-off. Eligible single women in their 60s and 70s flooded the ABC casting office with applications, hoping for a chance to win the attractive widower’s heart. Among the women was Theresa, a 70-year-old day trader and fellow widower from New Jersey.
The two hit it off right away, and though the competition during The Golden Bachelor season 1 was stiff, Theresa won Gerry’s final rose and his heart. They were married in a lavish Golden Bachelor wedding that aired on ABC a few weeks after the season ended. Sadly, the marriage fell apart quickly, and after only three months of marriage, Gerry and Theresa announced their divorce in April 2024. Since the split, Gerry has been desperate to put the whole incident behind him, but it isn’t going to be easy.
Gerry Regrets Marrying Theresa
They Rushed Into It
Long before joining the cast of The Golden Bachelor season 1, Gerry had been married once before. His marriage to Toni Turner lasted for an incredible 43 years, and they had two children and two grandchildren together before she passed away in 2017 following a brief illness. In contrast, Gerry’s marriage to Theresa ended after only three months and was an absolute failure.
Like Gerry, Theresa had been married once before.
When Theresa was only 19 years old, The Golden Bachelor season 1 star married the love of her life, William Nist, and they were married for 42 years before he died in 2014. They had two children and six grandchildren, and Theresa recently announced her daughter was pregnant with Theresa’s seventh grandchild. Gerry and Theresa barely knew each other before rushing into an ill-advised marriage, and they should be thankful that they were smart enough to sign a prenup.
Gerry Has Stayed Busy
He’s Trying To Distract Himself From His Sad Reality
Since announcing his divorce from Theresa, Gerry has done everything in his power to keep himself busy so he doesn’t have to think about everything that happened since he appeared on The Golden Bachelor season 1. The prolific philanthropist has focused on raising money for causes he cares about, but Gerry has focused on family. In May, Gerry posted a family photo to Instagram in which Gerry drove his family around the lake on a boat. The post has 8.6K likes, and the caption reads, “Memorial Day weekend was so much fun with all the family around.”
In addition to spending time with his family, Gerry also distracted himself by hanging out with friends and posting photos from his recent vacation on Instagram. In the pictures, Gerry appears to have a great time with his many friends as they go biking together, ride around on boats, and even enjoy a military airplane show together. “It has been a couple weeks since returning from Orange Beach AL with my closest and most trusted friends,” read Gerry’s caption.
“Two vacation weeks filled with golf, pickleball, beach time, biking, great southern food, and the Blue Angels. What a great time, thanks to the best friends a guy could have.”
Gerry Will Never Be Able To Erase His Failed Marriage
There’s No Going Back
Since announcing his divorce from Theresa, Gerry has been desperately trying to stay busy. He doesn’t want to have to think about the predicament he found himself in due to appearing on the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor, but there’s no escaping it. From the moment Gerry and Theresa announced their divorce, fans took Theresa’s side, which further damaged Gerry’s already sputtering reputation.
Sadly, Gerry will never be able to go back to a time before he married Theresa, as much as he probably wishes he could. Though Gerry can’t change the terrible decision he made to marry Theresa on The Golden Bachelor season 1, he can take comfort in the fact that time heals all wounds. One day, he’ll be able to look back on his reality television stint fondly.
