Theresa Nist Slams Gerry Turner's Claim They Split Due to His Cancer

The Golden Bachelor alum Theresa Nist slammed ex-husband Gerry Turner’s claims that they split due to his cancer diagnosis.

Five months after Gerry, 73, claimed to People that his incurable bone marrow cancer diagnosis had “a huge bearing” on their split, Theresa, 71, shared her side of the story while appearing on the Thursday, June 5, episode of Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti’s “Almost Famous” podcast.

“I was just so surprised that he even said that I knew about the cancer a long time ago,” she said about her ex’s claims. “The way Gerry presented it to me was that, ‘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 added that they “never had a conversation” in which she said she wanted to end their marriage due to his diagnosis.

“I would have never left my husband over an illness,” she continued, noting that she was married to her first husband, William “Bill” Nist, until he died in hospice care in 2014.

While Theresa insisted that she didn’t leave Gerry over his cancer diagnosis, she said that things “just didn’t work out” between the two of them and they both wanted to date other people. However, she did admit that she would have stayed in their relationship longer if she was given the choice.

“He wanted to do it right away,” she recalled of their split. “I mean, we had already made the decision. He wanted to make the announcement right away.”

Theresa went on to say that she still wanted to “confront him about” his claim that she left him due to his diagnosis, adding that she had received “absolutely horrible” backlash against her.

“Did he want empathy from the public?” she asked. “I was angry that he would say something like that, but then I am such an understanding person, and 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.”

While the exes insisted they would stay close after their split, Theresa revealed they have been “a little distant” since their divorce.

“He really does want to talk to me a lot,” she said. “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, like something was really missing in my life.”

Gerry has not publicly responded to Theresa’s latest claims about their split on the podcast.

Theresa and Gerry fell in love during season 1 of The Golden Bachelor. Following their engagement during the season finale, they wed in January 2024. Their romance didn’t last long and they announced their split in April of that year. Theresa and Gerry’s divorce was finalized in June 2024.