“The Golden Bachelor” stars Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist announced they are divorcing, three months after the couple wed in a live televised ceremony.
They revealed the news in an interview that aired on Friday, April 12, on ABC News.
“Theresa and I have had a number of heart-to-heart conversations, and we’ve looked closely at our situation, our living situation, so forth and — and we’ve kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it’s probably time for us to — dissolve our marriage,” Gerry said in the interview.
“Get a divorce?” ABC News’ Juju Chang asked.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
“Yes,” Turner replied.
“We have received so much love and support from so many people who watched ‘The Golden Bachelor,’ and I don’t think we can tell you how many people told us that it gave them so much hope,” Theresa said. “We want none of that to change for anybody.”
Gerry and Theresa captured hearts last fall in the first season of “The Golden Bachelor,” a new “Bachelor” spinoff where seniors could find love. Gerry, a 72-year-old from Indiana, was the show’s first lead and chose Theresa, a 70-year-old from New Jersey. They had both been married to their respective high school sweethearts, who died following illnesses.
Despite their split, the two said they both still love each other.
“I still love this person,” Gerry said. “There’s no doubt in my mind, I still am in love with her. I root for her every day.”
“Yeah, I still love him,” Theresa said.
Fans on social media quickly reacted to the news with mixed feelings. While some rooting for Gerry and Theresa were shocked, others said they had anticipated it.
“I think I just broke my eyes from rolling them so hard,” Instagram-user @kleski4eva wrote.
“Didn’t think it would happen this fast tho,” Instagram-user @deborah_fontenelle wrote.
The two got married in a live televised ceremony on ABC titled “The Golden Wedding,” on Jan. 4.
The wedding included members of their family and some of the “Golden Bachelor” cast. Gerry’s other frontrunner from the show, Leslie Fhima, was seen walking the red carpet at the event, and fan-favorite Susan Noles officiated the wedding.
ABC later announced a “Golden Bachelorette” spinoff will air later this year,
The couple said in their April 12 interview that though rumors circulated that they were living separately, that didn’t play into their decision to divorce.
“Gerry had already discussed that with me,” Theresa said. “He had explained it to me before the report was ever released, so we were good with that.”
“We didn’t want to pretend to anybody,” she added.
The pair also said that they will give back their rings.
“I think that’s the rule,” Theresa said.
“But you know what? We don’t have to give back the memories,” Gerry said.
This story first appeared on TODAY.com. More from TODAY:
- Bob Costas recalls O.J. Simpson car chase following his death: ‘It was surreal, to put it mildly’
- Olivia Benson’s son found out who his father was most unexpectedly. How she reacted
- How a routine C-section turned into the most traumatic event of my life
