The first ever “Golden Bachelor” couple Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist’s split was confirmed on “Good Morning America” in April 2024.
On April 16, a podcast episode circulated online. The episode, which was originally released in March, may offer more insight into why Turner and Nist’s marriage didn’t last.
“I still work, so that’s the hurdle,” Nist said on the “Dear Shandy” podcast. She went on to explain that she had promised her boss that she wouldn’t “leave” the company, especially after she received so much leniency while filming “The Golden Bachelor.” And without having a firm plan on where she and Turner would live, Nist didn’t want to quit her job.
Meanwhile, Turner explained that him being in retirement while Nist was still working was a challenge.
“I’ve been retired for a long time. I wanted fun [and] adventure, I wanted to go do [things]. So that is the crux of it, right now, is when does that start? I think the living arrangement is really secondary to the freedom of being able to go and enjoy life and do,” he said on the podcast.
“That hurdle is still there, and right now, we’re dealing with it. It’s just something we’re gonna have to find a way around,” he added.
Here’s what you need to know:
Gerry Turner & Theresa Nist Blamed Their ‘Living Situation’ for Their Divorce
During their interview on “Good Morning America,” Turner and Nist blamed the distance between them for the split.
“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,” Turner said.
Previously, Turner and Nist had agreed that she would move from New Jersey and he would move from Indiana and they would both relocate to South Carolina.
“For the last couple of years, when my family gets together, I’ve talked about moving to South Carolina, and it’s an idea I’ve toyed with. And then in conversation with Theresa, a private moment, she’s saying, ‘Well, yeah, my son lives near Charleston in South Carolina,’” Turner previously told People magazine.
“The issue of compromising on where to live and how to reconcile families and all of that is, it’s no longer an issue,” he added.
Some Members of Bachelor Nation Believe There Is More to the Gerry Turner Divorce News
Since Turner and Nist announced their split — and the reason — there has been some doubt cast by other Bachelor Nation stars.
“I think a lot of the ‘Good Morning America’ interview was BS because you don’t say, ‘We’re still in love with each other,’ and then get divorced. You just don’t,” former “Bachelor in Paradise” star Ashley Iaconetti said on her Instagram Stories.
“If it’s a distance thing — at their age especially — live in Indiana, live in New Jersey, visit each other once or twice a month … Be in love, be married but, like, you know, commute to each other. I don’t buy [it]. I don’t buy that the moving thing is the reason they got divorced three months in,” she added.
And Iaconetti isn’t the only one who thinks something is suspect. Former “Bachelor” lead Nick Viall shared his take with People magazine.
“I think what shocked me the most is this wasn’t just a normal breakup or an end of an engagement. This was a divorce announcement. I was caught off guard, and surprised by the abruptness,” Viall told the outlet. He added that “maybe there’s more to the story that we’re not hearing.”