Bachelor Nation Stars React to Gerry Turner & Theresa Nist’s ‘Tragic’ Split
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The Golden Bachelor fans (and all of our moms) were saddened to learn of Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist‘s decision to divorce just three months after tying the knot in a TV wedding. Following their split announcement on Good Morning America, Bachelor Nation started responding to the heartbreaking news.
Scroll down to hear what Bachelor Nation is saying about this sudden breakup.
Faith Martin (The Golden Bachelor)
Martin was Turner’s second runner-up during the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor. During her time on the show, Martin had expressed concern about moving away from her family in Washington to be with Turner in Indiana.
“My heart goes out to both of them,” Martin told PEOPLE. “It’s a very difficult situation, and I think it is important to realize that on a show like this, it’s so important to be so transparent and so much yourself filled with honesty and truth and ask those right questions. That’s why it’s such a serious thing. You got to ask the right questions to see if things could really, really work, and perhaps they just did not have enough time for that.”
She added, “I wish them both all the happiness in the world, and I’m sure this was a traumatic thing to go through for both of them, so my heart goes out to them. I’m sure everything will really be okay in the long run, and someday they’ll look back and just smile, hopefully.”
Leslie Fhima (The Golden Bachelor)
Turner chose Nist over Fhima in The Golden Bachelor finale. After Nist posted a lengthy Instagram message following her divorce announcement, Fhima showed her support. “I love you my friend. I’m so happy to call you that… You’re beautiful inside and out,” Fhima commented.
Ashley Iaconetti (The Bachelor and Bachelor in Paradise)
Iaconetti was brutally honest about her feelings regarding Turner and Nist’s split. “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,” she said on her Instagram Stories on April 12.
She added, “I don’t buy that the moving thing is the reason they got divorced three months in.” Iaconetti also brought up that she refused to be a guest on a podcast talking about The Golden Wedding special because she “didn’t feel anything” when she watched Turner and Nist tie the knot in Palm Springs.
Maria Trice (The Golden Bachelor)
Trice, a Golden Bachelor contestant, didn’t mince words in her reaction to the shocking divorce. “I think I dodged a bullet,” she told PEOPLE. “The interesting part about being at this stage and this age is people have stuff, even if they do their due diligence of finding out as much as they can about everyone, I think other stuff just comes up. Men in particular.”
Nick Viall (The Bachelor)
Viall admitted he was “caught off guard” by Turner and Nist’s sudden divorce. “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,” he told PEOPLE. “I was caught off guard, and surprised by the abruptness.”
The Viall Files podcast host continued, “It doesn’t require lawyers to get out of an engagement. It does require lawyers to get out of a marriage, and I’m really curious what changed with Gerry and Theresa that made them so sure to sign up a marriage license, but now only to get a divorce.”
Jesse Palmer (Bachelor Nation Host)
Jesse Palmer was by Turner and Nist’s side through their journey on The Golden Bachelor.
The host posted an Instagram photo featuring the former couple and wrote, “My heart is forever with these two beautiful souls. I am eternally grateful to have gotten to know Gerry and Theresa and to have been a small part of their journey. I learned a lot about life, love and family watching and talking with them. Wishing them and their families both nothing but happiness.”
Kathy Swarts (The Golden Bachelor)
Kathy Swarts was a contestant on the first season of The Golden Bachelor. She was eliminated in Week 4. She attended Gerry and Theresa’s wedding in January 2024.
“I am heartbroken for them,” Swarts said in a Zoom video with Susan Noles posted on April 12. “It is sad. It is tragic. Please, people, be kind. These are our friends. The love didn’t work out, but they’re great people, and our hearts are breaking for them.”
Susan Noles (The Golden Bachelor)
Noles was also a contestant during the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor. She was eliminated in Week 5. Susan famously officiated Gerry and Theresa’s wedding.
“Don’t give up on the idea of meeting somebody on a show like that,” Noles said in her Zoom with Susan. “There are so many people out there that are still in love, and I truly believe those two fell in love. Right, Kathy? They had their reasons I’m sure, so be supportive everybody, stay positive, and we wish them all the best.”
In a separate video posted on April 15, Noles reached out to all the people who were “frustrated” about Turner and Nist’s divorce. “I get it. I do get it,” she said. “I know for a fact that Gerry and Theresa really did fall in love, and there’s just some things they couldn’t make happen, so why struggle for long periods of time when you’re not agreeing on things.”
She urged people to “be kind” in the wake of the divorce news. “I think what I would do is try to picture your own daughter or your mother being in their shoes, and what would you say to them?” Noles asked. “You would want to support them.”
Joan Vassos (The Golden Bachelor)
Vassos was a contestant on The Golden Bachelor, but she had to quit the show in Week 3 because of a family emergency.
“My heart goes out to my good friends Theresa and Gerry who made the difficult decision to separate,” Vassos wrote on her Instagram Story. “I know they care for each other deeply and they will always have a special relationship. The Golden Bachelor women and Bachelor Nation are ‘wrapping’ our arms around them in a big hug so they feel our love and support.”
Are you surprised by Gerry and Theresa’s split? Let us know in the comments below.
