As a huge fan, I’ve been watching The Golden Bachelor, and it’s been amazing to see these people find love right before our eyes! It’s not always smooth sailing though – things get really interesting when past relationships come up, especially with a live audience watching the whole thing unfold. It’s definitely kept me glued to the screen!
Despite tension surrounding claims Gerry Turner made about their relationship in his memoir, Golden Years, Gerry and Theresa Nist were seen together at the season two finale of The Golden Bachelor.
Gerry brought his fiancée, Lana Sutton, to the special episode, and host Jesse Palmer made sure to publicly acknowledge their engagement.
Jesse announced to the audience, ‘And here’s Gerry, the very first Golden Bachelor, with his fiancée, Lana!’
The camera showed the couple waving to the crowd, and Jesse said, “We want to congratulate you both on finding love.”
Theresa was also seen in the audience, among a large group of seniors who came out to show their support for season two’s Golden Bachelor, Mel Owens, and winner, Peg Munson. The host specifically highlighted the presence of these “Golden ladies and Golden men.”
The camera showed Theresa sitting with Leslie Fhima, who was a finalist on Golden Bachelor, and other contestants from the show’s second season.
Theresa and Gerry recently had a tense encounter, following their divorce last year and recent public statements about each other. Gerry recently released his book, Golden Years, and previously told TopMob News that Theresa’s unwillingness to retire was a major factor in their split.
He explained that his partner initially said she’d stop working once she found the right person, but she later changed her mind. They attempted to resolve this disagreement and find a middle ground. He needed a partner who shared his desire for adventure, travel, and experiencing the world, which he felt wasn’t possible if she continued working.
Theresa has openly shared difficult details about her past relationship, including a disturbing incident where Gerry reportedly joked about harming and dismembering her.
Looking back, I sensed a real hostility in what he said,” the 72-year-old shared on the Dear Shandy podcast on November 4th. “It felt like he wished he could have found a way to get rid of me.
Theresa clarified that her ex-partner wasn’t being completely serious, but she acknowledged his words still touched on a deeper emotion she felt about the situation. TopMob News contacted Gerry for comment on Theresa’s account, but he didn’t respond.
Gerry openly shared his deepest emotions about Theresa and his life in his new memoir. Here’s a look at what you’ll find in Golden Years…
The loss of Gerry Turner’s high school sweetheart, Toni—and mother to his daughters Jenny Young and Angie Warner—to a bacterial infection just weeks after they settled into their new lakeside home in 2017 was incredibly painful. But weeks after her death, Gerry discovered an even more heartbreaking truth: Toni had been diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes.
He wrote in his 2025 memoir, Golden Years: What I’ve Learned From Love, Loss, and Reality TV, that he was overwhelmed with questions and regrets. He realized that diabetes puts a strain on the body, especially the kidneys, and wondered if Toni’s condition could have been managed better if she’d had access to more resources. He also questioned whether his own attitudes might have discouraged her from sharing her struggles with him, and why she hadn’t felt able to confide in him about something so serious.
Even though leaving their Indiana home was difficult, he put up a picture of his wife of 43 years in his new closet. He said he wanted to see her smiling face every morning while getting dressed.
He disagreed with a 2023 article in The Hollywood Reporter that detailed his life after retirement, including relationships he hadn’t mentioned on The Golden Bachelor. He claimed he hadn’t dated for over forty years, but admitted in his book, “They did get one thing right: I had met her at Toni’s funeral.”
I’ve been following his story for a while now, and it’s so relatable. He started dating someone, and they even moved in together, which is a big step! He admitted they definitely had a connection, but looking back, he realizes he rushed things way too fast. Honestly, he hadn’t been in a relationship since he was 18, and even if he’d been feeling good about himself – which he wasn’t – that should have been a huge sign to slow down. Instead, he did the complete opposite, and it sounds like it didn’t work out because of it.
Joan Vassos, who was set to be the Golden Bachelorette, decided to leave the show because her daughter was having a difficult time after giving birth. Gerry was understandably upset by this, even though he understood her reasons. “I wouldn’t be honest if I said it didn’t really hurt,” he shared. “I truly believed she could be the person I’d spend my life with, and it was a big disappointment.”
Several months after their breakup, she sent him a copy of a beautiful coffee table book by photographer Annie Leibovitz – one he’d mentioned he liked when they were together.
You know, when I look back on relationships, it’s rarely simple. He admitted that a part of him still hoped things could work out, even as she was clearly moving on – he actually watched her give roses to someone new! He wrote about feeling genuinely happy for her and her new path, but also a little heartbroken for himself. It’s that bittersweet feeling of acknowledging her happiness while also realizing a piece of your heart will always remain with someone. It’s so human, isn’t it?
Gerry found it especially difficult to eliminate Ellen Goltzer. Before meeting families, he knew he wanted to keep both Faith Martin and Leslie Fhima, but deciding between Ellen and the woman he would eventually marry, Theresa Nist, was incredibly hard.
He described both potential partners as likeable and optimistic, and saw no obvious reasons to dismiss either of them. He thought both could make great companions. Feeling exhausted and pressed for time, he realized Ellen needed to move on.
He said he ended things with her because he didn’t feel a romantic connection. While he wasn’t completely certain Theresa was the right person for him, he was even more sure that Ellen wasn’t a match.
Gerry said he was thrilled with Leslie, who would eventually finish second. However, he sometimes concerned himself that the former lover of a famous person was living a life that was a bit too wild.
He couldn’t decide whether he preferred Leslie or Theresa, and started to worry that the fitness instructor’s past two divorces suggested they had very different ideas about what commitment meant, which could cause problems for them later on.
Looking back, he realized his previous concerns about Leslie weren’t about her lack of commitment, but rather stemmed from his own insecurities. He had initially compared her to Theresa’s deep devotion to her late husband, but now understands that was unfair.
He didn’t intend to hurt her feelings, and he regrets telling both Leslie and Faith he loved them while they were back home.
He explained that he sincerely meant what he’d told Leslie and Faith. Looking back, though, he realizes that true love requires complete and unconditional dedication to one person. He felt he hadn’t given that to either of them, and that regret still weighs on him.
After host Jesse Palmer invited them to spend a night in the fantasy suites, Gerry realized how he felt about Theresa. They talked about their future together, including her plans to retire, and Gerry realized he was in love. He said he knew she was the woman he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.
But his decision to offer the final rose to the New Jersey resident was certainly a thorny one.
In his memoir, he explained that while Theresa initially seemed like the best choice based on logic, Leslie quickly became a strong contender when he listened to his heart. He found himself torn between the two, caught between the comfort of what he knew and the thrill of something new and uncertain. He was choosing between security and excitement.
As a lifestyle expert, I always say the best moments are often the simplest! I recently heard about Gerry and Theresa, who celebrated their engagement in Costa Rica with a cozy room service meal. It was such a sweet moment for Gerry – he told me it truly solidified that Theresa was everything he’d ever wanted in a partner: someone bright, kind, and full of warmth. It just goes to show, it’s the little things that matter most!
Once they were apart, though, they found it hard to connect. He admitted their nightly conversations felt strained, explaining that she spoke with the same even tone whether discussing work issues or something as simple as getting a smoothie.
Their secret weekend in New York City didn’t quite spark romance. Gerry quickly discovered Theresa was very strict about her diet, avoiding all sugar, which wasn’t to his taste.
He explained that fish and salad were the only things she ate. When he asked about getting groceries for energy, she told him, ‘I don’t eat food like that.’
Gerry readily admits he wasn’t familiar with the Kardashians. After the show, he was invited to Kris Jenner’s home for dinner, and he wasn’t worried at all. In fact, he confessed he didn’t know much about the family. While on the way, he jokingly suggested to a member of the production team that the Kardashians might be benefiting from their show’s success. The driver was clearly shocked by the comment.
Throughout the night, he spoke with Kendall Jenner’s boyfriend, Bad Bunny, and even had a conversation with Kris Jenner about hearing aids. However, he denied Kendall’s accusation that he was flirting with her mother. He explained, “That’s not true. I was just quickly caught up in her lively personality.”
Like the saying goes, every relationship has its challenges, but Gerry’s with Theresa was particularly difficult. A major issue was Theresa telling Gerry she was ready to retire during a private date, then later saying she needed another year to save for retirement. Gerry felt misled, writing that he was frustrated because her financial situation didn’t match what she’d said on the show, and it made him question her honesty in other areas.
He became annoyed by her daily $12 smoothies and her lack of cooking, explaining that she ate out or ordered takeout for most dinners – at least four or five nights a week.
He felt out of place in New Jersey, and she disliked the rural life in Indiana – she told Gerry she couldn’t imagine living there because it felt too isolated. They had planned to move to South Carolina together, but he said she turned down every house he found in the $800,000 to $1.25 million price range, preferring much more expensive properties costing over $4 million.
On the November 4, 2025 episode of the Dear Shandy podcast, Theresa confessed she wasn’t fond of any of the houses he’d chosen, but she disagreed with his assertion that she had tried to exceed their budget.
Even though Gerry started having doubts about Theresa as their wedding neared (“As it got closer and closer to our wedding date, my doubts about Theresa grew”), they went ahead with the ceremony and exchanged vows on television in January 2024.
Gerry, having worked with divorcing couples before, knew a prenuptial agreement was essential. He sent the documents to Theresa overnight, but became anxious when she didn’t return them right away. On the Dear Shandy podcast, Theresa explained the delay was simply because she wasn’t sure which pages needed to be signed, and emphasized, “I told him, I would never take his money.”
While waiting for her signature, Gerry started to fear she was deliberately stalling, as he wrote in his book. Although she did eventually sign, the experience gave him serious doubts, and he realized they might have rushed into a lifelong commitment before getting to know each other better.
He knew he couldn’t stop the wedding, especially without embarrassing himself or Theresa. His only option was to accept the situation, stay silent, and follow through with the commitment he’d made to try his best to have a happy marriage.
Gerry’s feet were still cold when he talked to Faith, the woman who received his first impression rose, at the rehearsal dinner.
He explained that he’d confided in Faith, telling her, “This wedding is a mistake. I feel stuck and wish I could change things, but I don’t see any other option.” Faith responded by pointing at his chest and asking, “Why are you doing this if you know it’s wrong? It doesn’t sound like you at all.”
Despite knowing he didn’t have to go through with it, he did. He explained that a lifelong habit of trying to please others was too powerful to ignore. He felt obligated to everyone involved – his daughters, Theresa’s family, the wedding guests who had traveled, and the team who worked so hard on the event. Above all, he didn’t want to disappoint Theresa, even though he had concerns about how quickly their relationship was moving.
Though if you ask her, she’d rather have been a jilted bride than a divorcée.
Honestly, it just breaks my heart to even think about him feeling so lost and stuck. I really, really wish he’d just reached out, you know? If he’d just said something, anything… it would have been better. It just kills me that he felt like that and we didn’t know.
After Gerry and Theresa got married, it became clear she wasn’t interested in continuing a romantic connection, even privately. When Gerry visited her at her home in New Jersey just a week after the wedding, he felt unwelcome and like he didn’t belong.
She asked him to sleep on the sofa because she had a busy day ahead, and that surprised him. He said he told her it was fine, but he was actually confused, thinking, ‘We’re married – why can’t I sleep in the bed?’
Theresa remembered things a little differently on the Dear Shandy podcast. She said they did share a bed the first night, but she couldn’t sleep because it had been a while since she’d slept next to anyone. She recalled him offering to sleep on the couch, but emphasized she hadn’t asked him to.
He ended up staying on the couch for three nights and drove back to Indiana a day sooner than planned. Gerry observed that Theresa seemed like a completely different person compared to when they were in Costa Rica. While she had been comfortable and even initiated intimacy at the resort, she completely avoided it once they were back home.
Gerry and his wife met in Los Angeles after the finale of Joey Graziadei’s season in March 2024 to discuss their relationship. They both realized they had rushed into marriage and decided to get a divorce, Gerry shared.
Gerry explained that, unlike their often stressful phone calls during their long-distance relationship, this conversation felt completely different. He said they finally felt able to speak openly and honestly with each other, having overcome their final obstacle.
Even though Gerry’s daughters understood why he was getting divorced, he still found it difficult. He primarily felt like he had let people down, explaining that he hadn’t understood others as well as he believed. He regretted rushing into a marriage he wasn’t sure about, and he was caught in a cycle of negative thoughts, feeling like a failure. He described being in a very low and unhappy state.
Honestly, it just made me so frustrated reading that. He said he didn’t want to publicly argue, which, okay, fine. But he really felt like Theresa could have said something! Like, just clarified that he wasn’t broke and that they weren’t fighting over money – that it wasn’t this huge, messy thing. He wished she’d just set the record straight, you know? It just felt like she let all these awful rumors swirl around, and it broke my heart for him. He just wanted a little support, a little truth from her side, and it felt like she didn’t even try.
He described a time when he felt incredibly low, to the point where he didn’t want to face the day. One night, overwhelmed by everything, he briefly considered ending his life. But then he thought of his daughters, Jenny and Angie, and knew he couldn’t do that to them. He clarified he didn’t actually want to die, but rather to escape his pain. He explained he was accustomed to pushing through difficult times, believing the pain would eventually subside, but this felt different – like it would never end.
Just two weeks after filing for divorce, Gerry called his wife to ask if he could quickly talk. He hadn’t been diagnosed with cancer yet – a slow-moving type called Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia – but he wanted to update her on what he was going through with his health.
He said he couldn’t recall what she said, because Theresa was very quiet during the call. He did remember, however, that she never followed up to check on him or find out what was happening.
It just breaks my heart, but Gerry told me Susan Noles and Kathy Swarts still reach out to him – they’re amazing to stay in touch! But with Theresa? Oh, it’s just… nothing. He said they don’t even talk anymore, and honestly, he doesn’t see the point. It’s so sad, but he seems okay with it, which I guess is… something. I just wish they could all be friends again!
Theresa mentioned she had experience caring for someone with serious health issues, as her late husband was partially paralyzed after a stroke. In a post on Dear Shandy, she expressed her disbelief that anyone would think she wouldn’t care for him, saying, “That’s just not who I am.”
Gerry was left questioning if Theresa joined The Golden Bachelor for genuine reasons. He shared, “The support from the women on the show actually helped me through a difficult time more than anything else.” Now engaged to Lana Sutton, Gerry explained that many of the women understood what happened at the mansion and felt betrayed as well, and they expressed this feeling together.
What really made him question Theresa’s motives was learning that several people had seen her at the mansion with a copy of the book How to Win The Bachelor.
Gerry wrote that seeing Theresa huddled on the couch, carefully planning how to get a rose, really bothered him. It made him realize she wasn’t there to find love, but simply to win the competition.
Really, said Theresa, her reading habits were born from pure curiosity.
I signed up for a free trial of Audible before going on the show, and I was surprised to find a book called How to Win The Bachelor, she explained on the Dear Shandy podcast. It was so strange that someone actually wrote a guide on winning the show!
She began listening to the audiobook, but her free trial ended after just one chapter. She added that it hadn’t crossed her mind at all when she decided to attend the event, and it didn’t influence her decision in any way.
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2025-11-13 17:21