{"id":198811,"date":"2025-10-13T13:30:32","date_gmt":"2025-10-13T13:30:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/13\/golden-bachelor-gerry-turner-to-expose-reasons-for-divorce-in-book-excl\/"},"modified":"2025-10-13T13:30:32","modified_gmt":"2025-10-13T13:30:32","slug":"golden-bachelor-gerry-turner-to-expose-reasons-for-divorce-in-book-excl","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2025\/10\/13\/golden-bachelor-gerry-turner-to-expose-reasons-for-divorce-in-book-excl\/","title":{"rendered":"Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner to Expose Reasons for Divorce in Book (Excl)"},"content":{"rendered":"


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When The Golden Bachelor<\/em><\/a> premiered in 2023, Gerry Turner<\/strong><\/a> seemed like the wonderfully earnest antidote to the franchise\u2019s usual chaos \u2014 a Midwestern widower with a tender heart and just the right amount of dad (even grandpa!) energy. As the inaugural lead of the show\u2019s later-in-life spinoff, By the time he proposed to Theresa Nist<\/strong><\/a> in the emotional November finale, fans were fully invested in his second chance at love. Two months later, the pair made history with The Golden Wedding<\/em><\/a>, a live televised ceremony that drew millions of viewers.<\/p>\n

But the happily-ever-after didn\u2019t last. Just three months later, Turner and Nist announced they had split \u2014 a twist that stunned fans and, Turner admits, left him struggling with how the story was told. \u201cQuite honestly, there were some perceptions that I wanted to put on the right track,\u201d Turner, 74, tells Us<\/em> of his decision to write his new memoir, The Golden Years<\/em><\/a> (out November 4). \u201cThe question was constantly, \u2018Why are they getting divorced so quickly?\u2019 And I was, I believe, made out to be a villain.\u201d<\/p>\n

The truth, he insists, is more nuanced. \u201cRight before Theresa and I went on Good Morning America<\/em> to announce that divorce<\/a>, we agreed that we would protect each other, and I don\u2019t feel like that happened,\u201d he says. \u201cI felt like I was taking the brunt of the situation. And I go, \u2018No, wait a minute, that\u2019s not right. It\u2019s 50\/50.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Now, Turner is ready for his next act \u2014 one that\u2019s not being produced for network TV but still comes with a big diamond ring. Since receiving a bone marrow cancer<\/a> diagnosis last year, he\u2019s found love again with retired Indiana teacher Lana Sutton,<\/strong> and the pair announced their engagement<\/a> on October 3. \u201cFor a long, long time, I said, \u2018No, that\u2019ll never happen,\u2019\u201d Turner says of getting married again. \u201cNow that I have someone who makes me so happy, I can\u2019t say no to that anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Here, Turner talks to Us<\/em> about the lessons behind The Golden Years<\/em>, the whirlwind of reality TV and what it means to write your own fairy tale when the cameras stop rolling.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a lot in here, Gerry! Why was writing a book the right move for you?<\/strong>
I was filled with all these stories about what happened that never got to be seen, and feelings I had about some of the people on the show that I kept to myself. I decided, \u201cHey, it\u2019s time to try and tell the whole story, and not just the portions that are good to the general public.\u201d But as I got into the process, I realized I also wanted to fall back to the goals we had on the show \u2014 to keep yourself open to opportunities, enjoy life, don\u2019t walk by anything that may be good for you just because you\u2019ve gotten older.<\/p>\n

Were you nervous about getting so candid?<\/strong>
Yes, I was. As evidence of that, there were four or five places in that book that I rewrote and then scratched and rewrote again. The question I asked myself is, \u201cAm I being too harsh? Am I being too bland?\u201d You want to find the right center.<\/p>\n

You write a lot about your relationship with Theresa, beginning with the suggestion that she had a bit of a strategy while filming.<\/strong>
During the show, I did not have a feeling that that\u2019s what was going on. In retrospect, when I\u2019d start hearing comments or putting pieces together, I\u2019d go, \u201cOh, now that comment makes more sense.\u201d It\u2019s one of those litmus tests for women on the show \u2014 are they there for the right reasons? I gave Theresa full credit that she was\u2026 and then, as time went by, I kind of had to change my mind on that.<\/p>\n

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\n Grand Central Publishing<\/span> Grand Central Publishing<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You write that you felt that particularly when looking back at her words during her hometown date.<\/strong>
At the time with the hometowns, my thinking was that I had to commit 100 percent to what I was doing, and almost to the point [where], perhaps, I had blinders on and I was not looking as objectively as I should.<\/p>\n

Like all Bachelor<\/em> couples, you go from getting engaged to hiding your relationship from the public. What advice would you give yourself if you could go back to that time?<\/strong>
We didn\u2019t have much time together between the show [ending] and the wedding. And I think that\u2019s very unfortunate \u2014 certainly unintended by ABC, circumstances got in the way \u2014 but I should have been that guy that stomped his feet and yelled and said, \u201cThis has got to happen. We have to get to know each other.\u201d<\/p>\n

You write about feeling \u201cempty\u201d on the day of the proposal. Why did you get engaged on the show?<\/strong>
To put context to that, you have to go back to the time when it was done and put yourself in the position where, literally, the previous night, you had broken a heart. [Runner-up] Leslie [Fhima]<\/strong> and the issue that we got into the night before stuck with me really deeply. I cared for her very much, and I felt like I had mishandled the situation, not only the previous night, but ongoing. I\u2019d made strong comments to her that perhaps was premature to make. So 12 or 14 hours later, I\u2019m proposing to someone else and the joy wasn\u2019t there. I felt like I was going through the motions of what I had expected and what I needed to do, but not that I was gleefully doing and not that I, really, wanted to be in that moment at that time. If it had been even a 24 hour or 48 hour window where I could have processed what had happened, I think it would have made me feel a lot different.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Revelations From Gerry Turner, Theresa Nist’s Last Interview as a Couple<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tGerry Turner and Theresa Nist\u2019s last interview as a couple revealed a lot about their relationship. The Golden Bachelor couple opened up about their romance ups and downs on a March episode of the \u201cDear Shandy\u201d podcast just weeks before announcing their split after three months of marriage. \u201cTheresa and I have had a number [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

You also write that you told second runner-up Faith Martin you felt \u201ctrapped\u201d ahead of The Golden Wedding<\/em>. Why go through with it?<\/strong>
Commitment is a big thing, and I felt like I was doing the right thing. I just didn\u2019t feel overjoyed about it. So much of the book is about how I felt at certain moments, and that\u2019s only a momentary truth\u2026 I had second thoughts, but I don\u2019t think [they] were exaggerated from anyone\u2019s normal second thoughts. (When reached for comment, Nist told Us<\/em>: \u201cIt makes me very sad to think that he felt empty and trapped. I wish he had said something and just ended it. But at least now I understand why he was so hurtful to me so many times. And I will say this. Those in glass houses should not throw stones. I do wish him all the best.\u201d)<\/p>\n

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\"Theresa<\/div>

\n Theresa Nist and Gerry Turner<\/span> Disney\/John & Joseph Photography<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

There are a lot of lifestyle differences you write about in the book. Do you feel like you should\u2019ve figured those out before you got married?<\/strong>
On the show, I asked Theresa if she was ready to quit her job. She said, \u201cWhen I meet the right guy, I\u2019m ready to end my career.\u201d What I heard was, \u201cThere is a woman who\u2019s going to be willing to travel, to have some adventure to do, some things that I consider and that we should consider fun.\u201d And then after the show, she always went back to, \u201cWell, I really want to keep working.\u201d And that just pretty much makes it an impossible situation.<\/p>\n

Do you regret getting married?<\/strong>
In the big picture, I\u2019m happy that it all happened the way it did, because it got me to where I am.<\/p>\n

When you say you feel like Theresa made you out to be the villain after your split, what do you mean by that?<\/strong>
We were strongly advised not to make any independent statements [after GMA<\/em>]. Literally 48 hours later, she was making a statement to social media. And I go, \u201cNo, that was not what we agreed to do. That was not our plan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you feel like you own up to your part in the divorce in the book?<\/strong>
Certainly. I was a bit naive; I was a bad listener. I didn\u2019t probe well enough, and that\u2019s both for my sake and for Theresa\u2019s. Had I been better at some of those areas, maybe there would have been a different end.<\/p>\n

Are you worried at all about her reading the book?<\/strong>
I\u2019m not worried; I think she should be worried.<\/p>\n

Do you wish Theresa the best?<\/strong>
We all have goals in life. We all deserve to be happy. So I certainly wish the same to her as I would all of the women and myself, and that she finds her path to her full happiness. There\u2019s nothing wrong with embracing a career like she does \u2014 maybe that\u2019s her source of happiness. And I think that would be wonderful. I just wish I would have known that if that\u2019s the case.<\/p>\n

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\"Leslie<\/div>

\n Leslie Fhima and Gerry Turner<\/span> Disney\/John Fleenor<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Theresa isn\u2019t the only woman you write about in The Golden Years.<\/em> You are very complimentary of Leslie and apologetic for ending things over concerns about her past divorces and financial stability.<\/strong>
In the pressure cooker that is the show, you have certain feelings that, in retrospect, are somewhat artificial. I was questioning some of that with Leslie. And as the dust settled and time went by, I became a little more introspective on that and I realized that really it wasn\u2019t a Leslie problem, it was a Gerry problem.<\/p>\n

Are you surprised Leslie and Theresa are such good friends?<\/strong>
Not really. I\u2019m happy for both of them that they are friends like that.<\/p>\n

When Theresa and Kathy Swarts fought on The Golden Bachelor<\/em>, you appeared to take Theresa\u2019s side, which comes up in the book.<\/strong>
There is a spot in the book where I give a nod to Kathy that I wish I\u2019d have been able to sit the two of them down and hear more, because the person that I thought was the villain at the time turned out, maybe, not to be the villain.<\/p>\n

You also reflect on saying \u201cI love you\u201d to several women<\/a>, including second runner-up Faith.<\/strong>
I carried that for a long time. I felt shallow about it. I felt like I\u2019d let a commitment to myself fall by the wayside. I really only wanted to say those words to one other person the rest of my life, and I failed at that.<\/p>\n

Did you reach out to any of your Bachelor<\/em> exes for a second chance after your split from Theresa?<\/strong>
No. The full answer would be, I had some very pleasant conversations with Faith after the show. I consider her a quiet and true friend. I love it when I hear from her just randomly. And with regard to Leslie, Oh my God, I remember the day when I had tried to make contact with her, and she had the wall up. And I remember the day that she sent me the text that said, \u201cGerry, I forgive you. We\u2019ll never have anything more than what we have now.\u201d But I was so relieved to get that text from her that I was no longer a villain in her eyes.<\/p>\n

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Disney\/John & Joseph Photography<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You praise Joan Vassos, who left your season early, for how she was able to navigate being the Golden Bachelorette (which ended in her engagement to Chock Chapple).<\/strong>
There\u2019s so much thrown at you at once, there\u2019s so much outside noise that I think you have to be extremely disciplined to fight through all of that. [Joan] did a great job of fighting through that and staying true to what her goals were.<\/p>\n

You were married to your first wife, Toni, for 43 years. You reveal in the book that after she died in 2017, you learned she\u2019d been secretly diagnosed with diabetes. What was that like to process?<\/strong>
It was perplexing. When I found those testing devices and all the information about it, I thought, \u201cWhy was I not a good enough partner, close enough to her that she didn\u2019t share that with me?\u201d That still bothers me.<\/p>\n

Was it therapeutic to write about her?<\/strong>
It was incredibly difficult. As I sat in front of my laptop, I could take the time to pause and shed a tear. I\u2019ve learned to celebrate all the things that she was good at and all those great memories, and that has helped me so much. But still, there\u2019s moments.<\/p>\n

Tell Us<\/em> about Lana. How did you two meet?<\/strong>
She tells this story much better than I do. After the show, I was approached on DMs and Instagram a lot. One day she sent me a message, and I noticed that we had a lot of common friends. I go, OK, I\u2019ll answer that one. So we kind of went through social media step by step and I [finally] just said, \u201cI have nothing to lose here. I\u2019m gonna ask her out.\u201d<\/p>\n

What did she say in her DM?<\/strong>
She watched me on the show and the comment she made more than once is, \u201cOh my God, you were so hot. I really wanted to meet you.\u201d I don\u2019t know that her intentions were just platonic. We were just both open-minded. I\u2019ve gone down that road a number of times and found women that were great people, but they just weren\u2019t for me.<\/p>\n

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\n Related: <\/span>Theresa Nist Reveals \u2018Biggest Fear\u2019 About Gerry Turner\u2019s Book<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tGolden Bachelor\u2019s Theresa Nist is opening up about her ex Gerry Turner\u2019s claims that his cancer diagnosis played a role in their split \u2014 and why she\u2019s nervous about his new book. \u201cIt was a zero factor. Zero. I was just so surprised that he even said that,\u201d Nist, 71, said during the Thursday, June [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Why does your relationship work so well?<\/strong>
We\u2019re both enjoying the travel, adventure and spontaneity. I feel how much she cares for me \u2014 some of the little gestures and so forth. I\u2019ve never seen her without a smile on her face and a positive attitude. It\u2019s just so uplifting. And I\u2019ll occasionally drift off thinking about the health situation I have, and, man, she just smacks me and says, \u201cHey, we\u2019re going to enjoy every day we have.\u201d And I really could not be more blessed to have found a person who\u2019s so compatible with me.<\/p>\n

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