The Golden Bachelor winner Theresa Nist has reacted to Gerry Turner's new girlfriend and also revealed if she'll look for love on Bachelor in Paradise's upcoming tenth season.
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Gerry began dating Lana Sutton, a retired school teacher in her 50s, in March, and he already seems smitten with the blonde beauty he met on Facebook.
But before Gerry introduced Lana to the world, he reached out to Theresa to tell her first.
"He texted me and I said, 'Can you talk?'" Theresa recalled to Us Weekly, sharing how the former couple then jumped on the phone.
"He said, 'I just want to let you know I met someone.' I said, 'That's wonderful. I'm so happy for you.'"
According to Theresa, Gerry wasn't expecting her to be so sweet and supportive upon hearing this news.
"He goes, 'I was afraid to tell you,'" Theresa recalled.
"[I responded], 'Why would you be afraid? I only want your happiness.' Like, if this was the way it happened for him to find his person to go on the show, get married, and then find his person this way, then it was meant to be."
Gerry starred on The Golden Bachelor after the death of his late wife Toni and he ultimately proposed marriage to Theresa during his season finale that aired in late 2023.
Gerry and Theresa quickly got married in January 2024 for a televised wedding special on ABC.
But Gerry announced his split from Theresa and filed for divorce in April 2024, explaining that the distance between them was an issue. Their divorce was finalized two months later in June.
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While Theresa has yet to publicly disclose the real reason, in her opinion, why her relationship with Gerry didn't work out, she has suggested multiple times in media interviews that they didn't have enough time to get to know each other.
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"The amount of time that I was with him was what you saw on TV," Theresa told the magazine.
"There was no other casual interaction, like, there might be on Bachelor in Paradise where you can hang out."
Although Theresa appears to think Paradise would be a great opportunity to cultivate a deep relationship, she confirmed that she won't be a cast member on the show's tenth season this summer.
Theresa -- who received many DMs following her split from Gerry -- may already be seeing someone new, as she played coy when asked about her current relationship status.
"I think that's one thing I learned, the public scrutiny, and especially to rush into something so quickly and then all of a sudden, what if it doesn't work out?" Theresa noted.
Although Theresa didn't find lasting love with Gerry on The Golden Bachelor, she apparently made lifelong friends.
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"He brought that up to both of them to say, 'What should I do?' And Leslie said, 'Of course, tell Theresa, she'll be happy for you,'" Theresa said, adding how Gerry then texted her the next day.
Joan previously told Us that she had also advised Gerry to tell Theresa sooner rather than later.
"Her finding out on social media or something isn't great," Joan explained of Theresa.
"There's no love lost there. They're fine. They are both very happy with their lives and they did the right thing. They did what was right for them and I respect that completely."
Joan praised Gerry and Theresa for not dragging on their marriage.
"They knew where their hearts were and they both stepped away, and good for Gerry. He found somebody," Joan noted.
Joan added that Gerry was "really cute" when talking about his new girlfriend, with whom he said he felt love at first sight.
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"I felt that sense that he really needed somebody in his life that he wanted to love again. And he had a lot of love to give. I think he dove into this really quickly, but I think it's a great relationship from what I can tell," Joan shared.
"She's phenomenal. They talked about really important things, his [incurable bone marrow] cancer. And she is all onboard and she's like, 'Whatever years I have with you are perfect.' They've talked really long-term."
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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski
