Golden Bachelor’s Gerry Turner is ‘over denial phase’ of his cancer diagnosis and has made special plans to move forward.
The Golden Bachelor’s first leading man Gerry Turner is reportedly “over” the “denial phase” of his cancer diagnosis and is ready to start helping others.
The former reality TV star, 73, announced in early December that he has Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia, a slow-growing bone marrow cancer that has no cure, after being diagnosed weeks before his split with Theresa Nist.
“As Theresa and I were trying very hard to find our lifestyle and where we were going to live and how we were going to make our life work, I was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer,” he told People in his announcement.
“Unfortunately, there’s no cure for it. So that weighs heavily in every decision I make,” he added. “It was like 10 tons of concrete were just dropped on me. And I was a bit in denial for a while, I didn’t want to admit to it.”
While Gerry said it was “hard” for him, he had to tell Theresa and “the conversation was brief and I think [she was] a little bit awestruck by the news. So understandable.”
“I wanted my life to continue on as normal as possible, and that led me to believing that as normal as possible more meant spending time with my family, my two daughters, my two son-in-laws, my granddaughters,” he explained.
“And the importance of finding the way with Theresa was still there, but it became less of a priority.”
While the diagnosis did factor into his decision to divorce Theresa, Gerry wasn’t ready to give up.
“The good news is he’s not going soon,” the source told Life & Style, “he’s got a 60 percent chance of 10 years or more.”
“His kids and relatives in Indiana are being super supportive, anything he needs they’re there. Theresa’s heart goes out to him, too, and she’s letting him know that he’s in her thoughts and prayers. Everyone is pulling for him.”
Now, Gerry is looking to the future as he’s come out of the shock of it all.
“Obviously, it’s a terrible thing that stopped him in his tracks,” the source added.
“He was considered in excellent health and he was so active in sports like pickleball and golf, but he’s over the denial phase and wanting to help others with this disease by sharing his experience.”
Gerry is staying positive about the prospect of finding love, too.
“I am absolutely, 100% still looking for my person,” he shared to People.
He said Golden Bachelor taught him that he needs to say “open to possibilities” and the idea of “hope.”
“If there is a message that came out of the show, it is that you’re open to possibilities and that you have hearts and you have hope and you maintain humor in your life. I still want to find my person.”
Gerry realized that his diagnosis makes dating more difficult but he’s refusing to look at the situation as a negative thing.
He shared: “I think it would also be a confirmation if a person accepts me in the situation that I’m in, it would be pretty terrific.”
The reality star, said he’ll never marry again, but he’s “entertain the conversation with someone who was the right person.”
“If they felt strongly that they really wanted to be married, I would certainly consider that,” he said.
He explained that he wants “someone close” so he can see her “on a daily basis to learn if they’re the right person and them learn about me, if I’m their right person.”
