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Joan Vassos<\/strong><\/a> has shared an update on ex Gerry Turner<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s cancer, as well the status of their relationship after their split on 2023\u2019s The Golden Bachelor<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI knew about that already. I knew about that last year actually and I have spoken to him,\u201d Joan, 62, said of Gerry\u2019s cancer diagnosis in an interview with Us Weekly<\/em><\/a> published on February 6, 2025. \u201cHe and I are friends. We text every once in a while. He\u2019s all good.\u201d<\/p>\n Joan added that the news of Gerry\u2019s illness was \u201cshocking,\u201d noting that \u201cno one wants to hear the C word ever.\u201d However, she explained that his cancer is \u201cvery slow moving.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSometimes they never even treat them for it,\u201d she continued. \u201cLike, it never becomes an issue. So he\u2019s at the stage of this cancer that he\u2019s not even being treated for it.\u201d<\/p>\n Gerry, 72, revealed that he had been diagnosed with bone marrow cancer<\/a> in a December 2024 interview with People<\/em>.<\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a topic that I haven\u2019t wanted to talk about until now,\u201d he said. \u201cI think it\u2019s time, also because it probably will clear up a lot of mystery around what happened back in February, March and April.\u201d<\/p>\n The Indiana native explained that his cancer diagnosis contributed to his divorce from ex Theresa Nist, whom he married in January 2024 after the two found love on the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor. The former couple later announced their split<\/a> in April 2024, telling fans that they had decided to divorce because they couldn\u2019t decide on where to live. However, there was more going on at the time than people knew.<\/p>\n \u201cAs 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,\u201d Gerry told People.<\/p>\n Gerry said he was diagnosed with Waldenstr\u00f6m\u2019s macroglobulinemia, a slow-growing form of bone marrow cancer that \u201cbegins in the white blood cells,\u201d according to the Mayo Clinic<\/em>. He learned about his diagnosis when he saw a doctor about a shoulder injury.<\/p>\n \u201cThe orthopedic surgeon said, \u2018Yeah Gerry, there\u2019s not much we can do for your shoulder, but there are some unusual blood markers here.\u2019 And so an orthopedic surgeon went to my family doctor, my family doctor referred me to an oncologist, and now I\u2019m working with a hematology-oncology group in Fort Wayne,\u201d Gerry explained.<\/p>\n The reality star added that he was \u201ca bit in denial for a while\u201d after he was diagnosed.<\/p>\n \u201cUnfortunately, there\u2019s no cure for it. So that weighs heavily in every decision I make. It was like 10 tons of concrete were just dropped on me,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n While Gerry was blindsided by the news, a source exclusively told Life & Style<\/em> on January 1 that he had gotten \u201cover the denial phase and [wants] to help others with this disease<\/a> by sharing his experience.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe good news is he\u2019s not going soon,\u201d the source added. \u201cHe\u2019s got a 60 percent chance of 10 years or more.\u201d<\/p>\n The insider concluded, \u201cHis kids and relatives in Indiana are being super supportive, anything he needs, they\u2019re there. Theresa\u2019s heart goes out to him, too, and she\u2019s letting him know that he\u2019s in her thoughts and prayers. Everyone is pulling for him.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n