Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner Splits from Wife of Three Months

And you think soap opera marriages don’t last? Gerry Turner wed Theresa Nist after a whirlwind courtship on the first season of the dating series, The Golden Bachelor, which focuses on folks who are a bit older. The program gave viewers of all ages hope for romance. Well, maybe not as the newlyweds are divorcing — amicably, of course.

Three Month Itch

Turner and Nist did a joint interview with Juju Chang of ABC news, which aired on Good Morning America, revealing that they’ve decided to end their short marriage. “We have received so much love and support from so many people who watch The Golden Bachelor,” Nist began. “And I don’t think we can tell you how many people told us that it gave them so much hope and we want none of that to change for anybody.”

And yet, Turner said, “Theresa and I have had a number of heart-to-heart conversations and we’ve looked closely at our situation, our living situation and so forth and, and we’ve kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it’s probably time for us to dissolve our marriage.”

While Trista and Ryan Sutter have made a go of their life together, the track record for reality TV couples staying together is far from 100%, the news of Turner and Nist’s marriage ending came as a surprise given the bride’s heartfelt wedding vows from January. “I promise to be your calm in a storm to comfort you when you’re sad, to laugh with you when you’re happy and to stick with you throughout it all,” Nist said. Turner added, “We have a trust that cannot be broken.”

Irreconcilable and Geographical Differences

Well, the trust may still be there, but the marriage is ending. The couple is citing geographical conflicts — living in different states and wanting to be near their respective families — as the reason for the breakup. “We looked at homes in South Carolina,” Nist says. “We considered New Jersey and we just looked at homes after home, but we never got to the point where we made that decision.”

There’s clearly still some love — or at least friendship — between the two as they were holding hands during the interview. Asked by Chang if they’d fallen out of love, Turner maintained, “No, no, I still love this person. No doubt in my mind. I still am in love with her. I root for her every day.”

Even though the newlyweds have decided to throw in the towel, they feel that no one should ever give up on love — at any age. “We say don’t give up,” Nist says. “Stay hopeful.”

Asked if she has to give the ring back, Nist lamented, “I think I have to give this ring back. Sad to say.” Turner interjected: “But you know what? We don’t have to give back the memories.” The two said that they still do love each other, and Chang shared that Turner and Nist plan on remaining the best of friends. Also, Chang revealed that the newlyweds had a prenuptial agreement so their legalities of their breakup shouldn’t be too messy.