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Some fans were shocked when, on Friday morning, the now-famous couple who met on the ABC reality dating show The Golden Bachelor — Gerry Turner, 72, and Theresa Nist, 70 — announced that they are divorcing after about three months of marital not-quite bliss.
“I think we just think it’s best, for the happiness of each of us, to live apart,” Turner explained on Good Morning America. He filed for divorce hours later, citing an “irretrievable breakdown,” according to court documents obtained by Page Six.
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Snarky reactions were quick to follow the announcement, including, on X, “That’s what happens when you make a mockery of marriage,” and a sarcastic “Who could have predicted this [laughing emoji].”
But there was also, “Life happens and we wish you only the best.”
Yesterday, Nist posted a note on Instagram, along with a quote from Dr. Seuss: “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened.” She called her Golden Bachelor moment “one of the most incredible experiences of my life,” and thanked everyone who has offered her “love, kindness and support.” She implored the rest to find a bit of compassion: “For everyone else who is confused and angry and who does not understand, please try to find it in your heart to understand and to try a little kindness. Not just for me but for the world and for everyone you encounter.”
She added, “I truly thought it was going to last forever. It turns out, even at the age of 70, you don’t know everything.”
When Turner and Nist announced their split on the interview with Juju Chang, Turner explained, “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.”
And yes, Turner clarified for Chang, that means they are divorcing.
The pair met as part of the new offshoot of the ABC Bachelor franchise, encompassing The Bachelor and The Bachelorette, where a single man or woman is introduced to a few dozen members of the opposite sex who wrestle each other for the star’s time and attention. At the end of each episode, the star hands out roses to those he or she is still interested in and sends one person packing.
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