Physical Address
304 North Cardinal St.
Dorchester Center, MA 02124
The Golden Bachelor alum Gerry Turner admitted his relationship with Theresa Nist took a back seat while dealing with a cancer diagnosis.
“I wanted my life to continue as normal as possible, and that led me to believe that as normal as possible meant spending time with my family, my two daughters, my two sons-in-law, my granddaughters,” Jerry, 72, said People in an interview published on Wednesday, December 11. “And the importance of finding a way with Teresa was still there, but it became less of a priority.”
Jerry revealed that he had been diagnosed with stunting “bone marrow cancer” with a “really long name” called Waldenstrom’s macroglobulinemia. Jerry explained that “there is no cure,” which “weighs in every decision” he makes.
“It was like 10 tons of concrete had just been dumped on me,” he said. “And I was a little bit in denial for a while, I didn’t want to admit it.”
While Gary was initially told by his oncologists that he had a “blood disorder,” he said he “pretty much” knew it was cancer. He revealed the initial health news to Teresa in February when he received more tests and a bone marrow biopsy.
Jerry said he decided to “tell her what I know and that I explained the situation to her” in March. “Certainly, it was difficult for me,” he said. “But the conversation was short and I think (she was) a bit stunned by the news.” So understandable.”
After Jerry and Teresa announced they were divorcing, he recalled being hit with “judgments” — which he called “unfair.” (The couple met on set The Golden Bachelor season 1, which aired in 2023. After Gerry proposed to Teresa, the two exchanged vows in January. They announced their plans to divorce in April.)
“When you get hit with news like that and the shock wears off after a few days or a few weeks and you regroup and realize what’s important to you, that’s where you start to move forward,” he said. “And I hope people now realize in retrospect that it had a huge impact on my decisions, and I think Teresa probably did too.”
Jerry Turner and Teresa Nist explained why they decided to end their marriage just three months after their Golden Wedding. “Teresa and I have had numerous heart-to-heart conversations,” Jerry, 72, said during Good Morning America on Friday, April 12. “We looked carefully at our life situations and somehow (…)
Teresa, however, denied the idea that his diagnosis affected them divorce decree. She explained People on Wednesday that his health battle “wasn’t a factor in the breakup, at least not for me.”
“Whether it was something on his part, maybe, I don’t know,” she said. “But no, it didn’t affect the disconnection.” Part of it was the distance, but it wasn’t the only part. That’s really all I’m going to say.”
