Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist made the announcement in a sit-down Good Morning America interview.
Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist, the inaugural Golden Bachelor couple, are divorcing three months after their televised wedding.
In September, Gerry became the first star of The Golden Bachelor, a spin-off of The Bachelor that followed the 72-year-old former restaurateur from Indiana looking for love among 22 contestants.
In the show’s November finale, he proposed to Theresa, a 70-year-old financial services professional from New Jersey.
Numerous contestants from the season attended the wedding, including Susan Noles, who officiated.
Gerry and Theresa announced their divorce in an interview with Good Morning America’s Juju Chang, which aired Friday morning.
“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 during the interview.
Both Theresa and Gerry responded “yes” when Juju clarified that they’re divorcing.
“The thing that strikes me the most in our conversations, it’s been how dedicated both of us are to our families,” Gerry later added. “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.”
Theresa said the couple initially looked at homes in South Carolina and also considered living in New Jersey.
“We just looked at homes after [homes], but we never got to the point where we made that decision,” she said.
Both Gerry and Theresa noted they still “love” each other. They also held hands throughout the interview.
“I still love this person,” Gerry said. “There’s no doubt in my mind I still am in love [with] her, [and] I root for her every day.”
Theresa noted that the reports of Gerry’s career and dating history did not factor into the divorce.
“Gerry had already discussed that with me. He had explained that before the report was ever released, so we were good with that. That didn’t play into it,” she said. Juju also clarified the couple had a prenup.
As for their advice for older individuals looking for love, Theresa said, “Don’t give up. Stay in it. Stay hopeful because we are.”
