LOS ANGELES — Bachelor Nation is still trying to recover from the bombshell news that “Golden Bachelor” couple Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist are divorcing after only about 3 months of marriage.
The couple told ABC’s Juju Chang “We’ve had a number of heart-to-heart conversations and we’ve looked carefully 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.”
They insisted they’re still in love, and to drive that point home, they held hands throughout their Good Morning America interview.
So, what went wrong? Theresa and Gerry told Juju that they are both dedicated to their grown children and grandchildren and they felt it was best to live apart.
Having those important conversations with a potential partner was important to Gerry from the very beginning.
On The Red Carpet spoke to Gerry several times over the course of his “Golden Bachelor” journey including just before he left for hometown dates.
“I can’t say I’ve found the one, but I’ve found the few. And with the help of hometowns and seeing the lifestyles and seeing all the women that I’m down to in a more relaxed setting, I think that’s going to help me make good decisions,” Gerry said.
“One of the first things I looked for was a sense of humor, the woman’s ability to laugh at herself, even to laugh at me,” Gerry revealed at the show’s premiere event in September. “I was looking for the person that would be a full-fledged 50-50 partner with me, not someone that would walk a step behind and make me take the lead all the time.”
Theresa seemed to be just that. She was able to calm Gerry’s nerves after a harrowing drive to their one-on-one date at a diner, where they bonded over the losses of their spouses and they encouraged viewers to not stop believing in love. Viewers saw that bond grow through the season.
At the “Women Tell All” taping, Gerry revealed what was ahead on overnight dates and why they were so important to him. And it’s not the NSFW reason!
“I will tell you, the overnights were a watershed moment for me. When you’re off camera and you don’t have microphones listening, and you can have those discussions that you can’t have in front of other people, it’s much easier to learn about someone and make decisions.”
Was their living arrangement – and how they’d handle being near their respective families – something Gerry and Theresa spoke about on their overnight date?
It seemed both Gerry and Theresa were all in during the finale in November. Theresa told Gerry, “The best is yet to come,” and as he got down on one knee, Gerry proclaimed, “You’re the person I can’t live without.”
The two announced on “After The Final Rose” that they were getting married January 4.
“This show has touched so many lives and we feel that we’ve really made a difference in people’s lives and we want to bring them along for this ride,” Theresa told On The Red Carpet when we checked in with them in December.
More than seven million viewers watched as Theresa and Gerry exchanged their vows in a ceremony officiated by former contestant Susan Noles.
Theresa and Gerry seemed like the picture of wedded bliss at the “After The Final Rose” live show for “The Bachelor’s” latest lead, Joey Graziadei.
And just last week, at an event for Hulu on Disney+, Theresa updated On The Red Carpet on married life.
“Wonderful! We’re just so happy. We’re with our families, we just came from filming something together.”
That something is “Celebrity Family Feud.” No word yet on when, or if, that episode will air.
