The Golden Bachelor’s Gerry Turner recently revealed the shocking cancer diagnosis that sidelined his marriage, but will he continue his search for love? When Gerry, a 72-year-old retired restaurateur from Indiana, was cast as The Bachelor spin-off’s first male lead, women from all over the country flooded the ABC casting offices with applications. Some of the excitement was due to the fact that this was the first show to ever center on the love lives of senior citizens, but the tall, attractive widower was also a big part of the draw.
Like every season of every Bachelor franchise series, The Golden Bachelor season 1 opened with Gerry standing outside the familiar Bachelor mansion, greeting 22 single Golden women from all walks of life. Among the women was 70-year-old Theresa Nist, a day trader from New Jersey. The two fell in love, got engaged during the final rose ceremony, and were married in a lavish Golden Bachelor wedding weeks later. Despite the heartwarming love story, the septuagenarian couple announced their divorce just three months later. Recent revelations have shed light on what could have come between Gerry and Theresa.
Gerry & Theresa’s Relationship Timeline
They Connected On Deeper Levels
Gerry and Theresa had so much in common, so their relationship made a lot of sense on paper. Gerry was a widower who had lost his wife, Toni Turner, in 2018, after 43 happy years of marriage. Theresa was a widower too. Many years before joining the cast of The Golden Bachelor season 1, Theresa was married to John Vassos, the love of her life, for 42 years. He passed away in 2014, leaving Theresa on her own. With so much in common, it was easy for Gerry and Theresa to connect on a deeper level.
After their star-studded Golden Bachelor wedding, Gerry and Theresa rode off into the sunset together, but they wouldn’t get their happily ever after. The problems should have been obvious from the fact that Gerry and Theresa never lived together. In fact, they never even lived in the same state. They were essentially in a long-distance marriage, which wasn’t sustainable. Three short months after walking down the aisle, the couple announced their divorce. They cited geographical differences as the reason for the split, but recent revelations shed light on what really came between Gerry and Theresa.
Gerry Finally Broke His Silence About The Divorce
A Shocking Diagnosis
Before appearing in The Golden Bachelor season 1, Gerry lived in Indiana while Theresa lived in New Jersey. Though they initially blamed their divorce on the fact that they couldn’t decide on a place to live, new information has shone light on the real reason for their split. Gerry had been mostly quiet since the divorce, but, during a recent interview with People, he revealed what really happened after the cameras stopped filming. While treating a shoulder injury, doctors diagnosed Gerry with bone marrow cancer. His diagnosis became his main focus, and he just couldn’t prioritize his new marriage.
Will Gerry Search For Love?
He’s Focusing On Loving His Family
Learning that he had cancer changed Gerry’s life completely. Though he loved Theresa, he found it impossible to focus on the new relationship when he was dealing with such life and death stakes. Learning he was sick made Gerry want to spend as much time as possible with his family. Gerry has two daughters and two granddaughters that he’s very close to.
Learning that he was ill changed Gerry’s entire perspective.
Though The Golden Bachelor was a great experience and Gerry doesn’t regret being on the show, his health and his family came first. At this point, Gerry is focused on his family. Though he should never give up on the possibility of finding true love, it’s understandable that he wants to prioritize his children and grandchildren. He should also focus on getting himself healthy enough to get back into the dating pool.
