Including how Gerry and Theresa reveled the unexpected split news
Gerry, 72, announced his plans to separate from Theresa, 70, who has only been married for three months after getting engaged on the Golden Bachelor in November 2023.
The U.S. Sun can exclusively reveal Gerry’s dad Everett, 92, was “surprised” by the news of his son’s split.
“We are just as surprised as everyone else,” Everett said, referring to himself and Gerry’s stepmom, Peggy.
“We didn’t know [about the divorce] until we started getting calls,” he confirmed.
“We haven’t talked to him, so that’s all we know,” Everett revealed.
On Friday morning, Gerry and Theresa revealed their plans to split on Good Morning America.
The couple got hitched in a televised romantic wedding on January 4, 2024, at La Quinta Resort and Club in La Quinta, California.
Gerry and Theresa sat down with GMA’s Juju Chang to break the news to their audiences.
“Theresa and I have had a number of heart-to-heart conversations and we’ve looked closely at our situation – our living situation and so forth – and we’ve kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it’s probably time for us to dissolve our marriage,” Gerry said.
“Divorce?” Juju replied, appearing shocked.
She expressed her surprise over the couple’s short-lived three-month-long marriage.
The pair revealed they felt their issues arose from their long-distance living situation.
Gerry lives at his lake house in Indiana while Theresa is based in New Jersey.
“I still love this person,” Gerry told Juju. “There’s no doubt in my mind, I am still in love with her.”
“I still love him,” Theresa gushed as Juju pointed out the ex-couple were still holding hands throughout the interview.
Theresa will be returning the ring, but Gerry optimistically remarked, “We don’t have to give back the memories.”
The couple did file a prenup ahead of their wedding.
Despite Gerry and Theresa not working out as the premiere Golden Bachelor pair, ABC still has plans to premiere The Golden Bachelorette in fall 2024.
“We tell everyone else to continue to look for love,” Theresa told Juju in the GMA sit-down interview.
In the GMA studios on live television, Juju told audiences that Gerry and Theresa recommend other couples set up prenups before weddings.
Juju also confirmed they will “stay in each other’s lives.”
The anchor told audiences Theresa had advice for the upcoming, unannounced Golden Bachelorette.
Juju said Theresa recommended to “be authentic and be yourself.”
She then turned to her co-anchors and remarked, “It’s a head-scratcher.”
Previously, Everett told The U.S. Sun he watched every episode of The Golden Bachelor to support his son.
Everett revealed he was secretly rooting for Gerry to choose Leslie Fhima, 64 and a personal trainer.
“I had Leslie picked out,” Everett confessed, “For some reason, I just didn’t care for Theresa.”
“I was 60 percent for Leslie and 40 percent for Theresa,” he shared.
“I couldn’t say why [but] right off the bat, Theresa rubbed me the wrong way,” Everett said.
“All I want is for him to be happy [and] whatever he decides to do, I’ll back him 100%,” he told The U.S. Sun at the time.
