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Gerry Turner<\/strong><\/a> was a well-polished love machine long before he sought love on season 1 of The Golden Bachelor<\/em><\/a>. Before he got engaged to Theresa Nist on the show, the Bachelor Nation lead was once in a long-term relationship and married for over four decades.<\/p>\n Like a tale as old as time, Gerry<\/a> married his high school sweetheart, Toni.<\/p>\n The pair were married for 43 years after they wed in 1974. She suddenly fell ill in November 2017 and passed away after he \u201ctook his wife to the hospital when she never came home.\u201d<\/p>\n During their marriage, Gerry and Toni welcomed daughters Angie<\/strong> and Jenny<\/strong> and later became loving grandparents to granddaughters Charlee and Payton.<\/p>\n \u201cSix years after Toni\u2019s passing and with the support of his family, Turner is ready to put himself out there and find a love that will stand the test of time in his golden years,\u201d Gerry\u2019s ABC bio reads.<\/p>\n Gerry gave fans a glimpse into his past romance with his late wife, Toni, and admitted she \u201cwould be very pleased\u201d about his Bachelor journey during a July 19 appearance on \u201cThe Bachelor Happy Hour\u201d podcast, which is now cohosted by Bachelor in Paradise<\/em> season 7 couple Joe Amabile<\/strong> and Serena Pitt<\/strong>.<\/p>\n \u201cI have a picture of her in my walk-in closet, so every night I\u2019m in there and I see her picture. It\u2019s the only one now that I have in the house and in the mornings, I see her picture and you know, we talk,\u201d Gerry said in an eye-watering comment. \u201cI\u2019ll make a brief comment \u2014 or sometimes that talk is silent. But here, lately, in the last couple of months, you know, my question for her is always, \u2018So what do you think of this? Am I doing the right thing?\u2019 And I really have strong positive feelings about it. I think she would be very happy.\u201d<\/p>\n The new reality star later explained her approval comes after seeing him \u201cfail at a number of attempted relationships and dating.\u201d<\/p>\n Gerry continued, \u201cIt\u2019s positive, it\u2019s energetic. It\u2019s a way of communicating and finding the connection with a number of people, but specifically one special person and pretty confident.\u201d<\/p>\n During a teaser clip that aired in August 2023, Gerry grew emotional when he recalled Toni\u2019s death and how he found a way to move forward.<\/p>\n \u201cWe had a real typical but full life. Full of love, full of love, full of activity,\u201d Gerry explained. \u201cWe went to the emergency room, and she had a bacterial infection that infected her kidneys and infested her liver. And so, I took my wife to the emergency room on July 7, and she passed away on July 15. Now every time I look at [the lake outside my house] I go, \u2018This is her dream. This is what she deserves. Why am I standing here alone?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n While Gerry has said he has dated much since Toni\u2019s death, his ex-girlfriend revealed they dated for nearly three years<\/a> before he made his reality TV debut.<\/p>\n The ex, who used the name Carolyn to maintain her privacy, told The Hollywood Reporter<\/em><\/a> that she began dating Gerry just one month after Toni died. They met while working together at Vera French Mental Health Center in Davenport, Iowa. While they lost touch when Gerry and Toni moved to Hudson, Indiana, they reconnected and went on to date for 10 months before they moved in together for one year and nine months.<\/p>\n \u201cThe idea that I\u2019d go out with a recent widower just mortifies me,\u201d she told the outlet. \u201cI just really didn\u2019t see it. Until I went back and looked at my text messages, I never realized Gerry\u2019s texts had turned hot and heavy so relatively soon.\u201d<\/p>\n As their relationship got more serious, Carolyn moved into his lake house in July 2018. Carolyn said she was shocked to learn that Gerry had controlling tendencies, including his request that she pay $1,000 a month to live in the home and his refusal to pay for her on their dates.<\/p>\n Their relationship hit a major roadblock in October 2019 when the TV personality told Carolyn she couldn\u2019t go to his high school reunion with him because she had gained 10 lbs. They eventually called it quits, with Gerry telling Carolyn she had be out out of the house by January 1, 2020.<\/p>\n While Carolyn was packing up her belongings, she fell down the stairs and had to get foot surgery. She claimed Gerry accused her of using the fall as an excuse to not move out and speculated she planned to sue him for causing the injury.<\/p>\n When Carolyn eventually left, Gerry told her he \u201creally wish this would\u2019ve worked out.\u201d<\/p>\nWho Is The Golden Bachelor\u2019s Gerry Turner\u2019s Former Wife?<\/h2>\n
What Has Gerry Turner Said About His Late Wife?<\/h2>\n
Did Gerry Turner Date After Toni\u2019s Death?<\/h2>\n