The Golden Bachelor alum Theresa Nist has slammed Gerry Turner's explanation for why they broke up and got a divorce.

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"[Gerry's cancer] was a zero factor [in our divorce] for me -- zero. I was just so surprised that he even said that," Theresa told Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti during the June 5 episode of their "Almost Famous" podcast.

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Gerry and Theresa got engaged on The Golden Bachelor's Season 1 finale, which aired in November 2023, and then they got married in January 2024 for a televised special on ABC.

When Gerry opened up to the world about his cancer late last year he claimed he had informed Theresa of the diagnosis -- an incurable bone marrow cancer called Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia -- in February 2024.

This conversation allegedly took place shortly before Gerry and Theresa announced their split in April 2024. (The pair's divorce was finalized in June 2024).

Gerry previously told People of his cancer, "I hope that people understand in retrospect now that that had a huge bearing on my decisions and I think probably Theresa's as well... Maybe [people will see] it wasn't quite a rash, fast decision... that there was something else going on."

Theresa said the backlash she received for Gerry's comments was "absolutely horrible."

"I read comments about how bad I was, like, 'Oh, I thought it was until death do us part,' and 'She was only in it for the fame or the money.' And so it made me feel so, so angry. I was really angry that he would say something like that!" Theresa recalled.

Theresa shared how she has known about Gerry's cancer for a long time now.

"The way Gerry presented it to me was, 'The doctor said that I'm going to die of old age before this cancer gets to me.' He bluffed it off, like it really wasn't that important, and he had no symptoms, and he still doesn't," Theresa said.

"So we never had a conversation that said, 'Oh my gosh, you're sick. I can't stay with you now. I have to leave.' That never happened."

Theresa revealed how People actually called to inform her about Gerry's cancer comments.

"They interviewed him the day before they interviewed me, and right before my interview, they contacted me and said, 'We want to talk to you right now because Gerry just came out and said that his illness was the reason you broke up,'" Theresa recalled.

"And I go, 'What?!' I said, 'No it wasn't! There was zero conversation about that being it.' So if that's the reason, it was in his mind, only. It was never discussed, and it was never discussed as a reason."

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Theresa said Gerry must have "imagined" the cancer playing a role in their split.

"But it had nothing to do with it -- nothing," she reiterated. "I would have never left my husband over an illness."

Theresa cited how she had stayed with her husband Billy for years when he was sick. (Theresa was married to Billy for 42 years until he died in hospice care in 2014).

"It was really pretty bad, but I would never leave. That's just not me. That wouldn't happen. So, no," Theresa confirmed.

"I was almost like, 'Why did he come out with that and say that now?'"

Theresa admitted she still needs to confront Gerry about his side of the story.

"It's horrible that I didn't [confront him about it]. It's horrible that I didn't say to him, 'Why did you say that?' I honestly do need to confront him about it," Theresa noted.

Theresa said Gerry clearly "assumed" his cancer factored into her decision to part ways when, in reality, "it had nothing to do with it."

"Maybe he just wanted empathy from the public? I don't know what it was," Theresa suggested, later adding, "I think he got a lot of bad press after the breakup, and I think he's trying to get back on everyone's good graces, and I don't blame him."

But Theresa repeated how his cancer "wasn't the reason" and so she was "so surprised" by his claim.

At the time Gerry and Theresa made their breakup public knowledge, the pair claimed distance was the main problem for them because Gerry wanted to stay close to his family in Indiana while Theresa wanted to continue her finance job in New Jersey.

But nearly one year later, Theresa is claiming the real reason for their breakup has yet to be revealed.

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Theresa told Ashley and Ben that she's "never, ever said" the real reason for their breakup when speaking to the media.

"I think in the end, it just didn't work out. And the reason it ended so quickly -- and I've said this before -- is I would've let it go on longer. I would've waited until Joan's [The Golden Bachelorette] season had a chance before putting a damper on that season and making that announcement," Theresa admitted.

"I would've waited, but he wanted to do it right away... Maybe when you're young, you stay in relationships that don't work longer than you should, but when you're older... you give that person a chance to go find someone with whom it really will work."

Fans may eventually find out Theresa's truth, however, because she said she's writing a memoir.

"I decided to start writing about it, but I don't know if I'll ever release it. It may be just for me. It might just be my memoir... It's slow-going because I work full-time," Theresa shared.

While Theresa was initially so angry at Gerry for blaming his cancer diagnosis, she pointed out how she's "such an understanding person" and was able to work through it.

"I can put myself easily in someone else's shoes. So I tried to see it from his perspective, and I thought, 'Okay, if that's in his mind, then I guess that's how he sees it.' Everyone has their own perception of what happened," Theresa reasoned.

"I know exactly what happened. Here's the worst thing about it: we never really had the conversation that led to the breakup... Things just happened, and I internalized a lot of it. It was just at one point Gerry said, 'This isn't going to work out, is it?' And that was the end of it. Nothing was discussed, and not one discussion about him being ill being the reason."

Theresa said Gerry's public remarks have made her nervous for what he's going to write in his new book Golden Years: What I've Learned from Love, Loss, and Reality TV, which hits shelves on November 4, 2025.

"My biggest fear is that he's going to pummel [the public] theories that I don't agree with... And so that will be tough if that happens," Theresa admitted.

In terms of what her relationship with Gerry is like now, Theresa said they are a little "distant" from each other.

"He really does want to talk to me a lot," Theresa revealed.

"I mean, he wants to keep the friendship going, but I really haven't reciprocated. So I guess it's me. I would say, also, since the show, I've been a lot more at peace with myself. I think maybe before the show, I felt a little bit more restless."

Theresa also insisted she's really happy for Gerry now that he's in a new relationship and it appears the unconventional route he had chosen to find love ended up being successful for him.

"He found someone that really suits him and I think that's wonderful. I think it worked out the way it was supposed to work out," Theresa concluded.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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