Theresa Nist was seen for the first time since announcing her shock split from Gerry Turner as she arrived to her New Jersey home on Friday with a police escort.
Nist, 70, and Turner, 72 – who met on the first season of ABC’s The Golden Bachelor in 2023 – revealed they were headed for divorce after tying the knot earlier this year in January during a televised wedding.
The pair made an appearance together on Good Morning America on Friday where the stars explained that they came to the decision to ‘dissolve’ their marriage.
As she arrived to her home in New Jersey later on Friday, Theresa was seen stepping out of a parked vehicle and was accompanied by a police escort who assisted her.
The securities professional donned a pair of fitted, dark gray pants as well as a tan-colored, leather jacket that was draped over her shoulders.
Theresa Nist, 70, was seen for the first time since announcing her shock split from Gerry Turner, 72, as she arrived to her New Jersey home on Friday with a police escort
The pair made an appearance together on Good Morning America on Friday where the stars explained that they came to the decision to ‘dissolve’ their marriage
Theresa also wore a pair or chic, closed-toed pumps and allowed her brunette locks to flow down naturally past her shoulders.
After stepping out of the car that was parked in the driveway, Nist was seen strolling towards the entrance of her home. A police escort walked by her side and was also spotted entering the house.
She officially filed for divorce from Gerry on Friday – the same day that the former couple revealed their separation.
According to documents obtained by TMZ, she had cited the reason for their split as an ‘irretrievable breakdown’ of their marriage.
Sources later told TMZ on Friday that one of the issues that arose during their marriage was Theresa’s job, which is located in the state of New Jersey.
After saying, ‘I do,’ the insiders informed the outlet that Nist had difficulty deciding whether to move to South Carolina or Indiana with Turner.
Gerry had suggested that the two split their time in both Indiana and New Jersey, but Theresa was concerned she wouldn’t be able to keep her job being out of the state for long periods of time.
Sources added to TMZ that Nist was also worried about trying to find a new job at 70-years-old in a new state.
As she arrived to her home in New Jersey later on Friday, Theresa was seen stepping out of a parked vehicle and was accompanied by a police escort who assisted her
Theresa also wore a pair or chic, closed-toed pumps and allowed her brunette locks to flow down naturally past her shoulders
After stepping out of the car that was parked in the driveway, Nist was seen strolling towards the entrance of her home
She officially filed for divorce from Gerry on Friday – the same day that the former couple revealed their separation
According to documents obtained by TMZ, she had cited the reason for their split as an ‘irretrievable breakdown’ of their marriage
The insiders continued that despite the split, both Theresa and Gerry are still close and have ‘mutual love’ for each other.
On Friday morning, the pair announced the news of their divorce during an interview on Good Morning America and opened up about the reasons for their shock separation.
‘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,’ Gerry told host Juju Chang.
He admitted that their decision to separate was motivated in large part by their ‘dedication’ to their respective families – hinting that this has made it incredibly difficult for them to decide on a place to settle down together.
Both Gerry, a retired restauranteur from Indiana, and Theresa, have kids from past relationships; he has two daughters and two granddaughters, while she has a son, daughter, and six grandsons.
‘The thing that strikes me the most in our conversations, it’s been how dedicated both of us are to our families,’ Gerry explained.
‘So we look at these situations and I think we just feel like it’s best for the happiness of each of us to live apart.’
However, Theresa insisted that the former couple tried their utmost to reach a compromise that would work for both of their families, revealing that they had looked at different locations across the country in the hopes of finding a ideal home to start their new lives together.
Sources later told TMZ on Friday that one of the issues that arose during their marriage was Theresa’s job, which is located in the state of New Jersey
Gerry had suggested that the two split their time in both Indiana and New Jersey, but Theresa was concerned she wouldn’t be able to keep her job being out of the state for long periods of time
On Friday morning, the pair announced the news of their divorce during an interview on Good Morning America and opened up about the reasons for their shock separation
‘We looked at homes in South Carolina, we considered New Jersey, and we just looked at home after home, but we never got to the point where we made that decision,’ she said.
‘We have received so much love and support from so many people who watched The Golden Bachelor, and I don’t think we can tell you how many people told us that it gave them so much hope,’ Theresa added. ‘We want none of that to change for anybody.’
When asked if they ‘fell out of love,’ Gerry insisted, ‘No. I still love this person. There’s no doubt in my mind, I am still in love with her and still root for her every day.’
They added that they were going to have to ‘give their rings back,’ but that they were happy they could keep ‘the memories’ that they shared.
The couple met on the first season of the Golden Bachelor, which premiered late last year, and Gerry proposed during the show’s finale.
They then tied the knot in January during a televised wedding, with Theresa gushing in her vows, ‘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 just stick with you throughout it all.’
In an interview with GMA after the wedding, they insisted that they had ‘found their person.’
Gerry and Theresa’s shock announcement comes just days after it was revealed the pair were still living in separate homes three months after their nuptials.
He admitted that their decision to separate was motivated in large part by their ‘dedication’ to their respective families – hinting that this has made it incredibly difficult for them to decide on a place to settle down together
Both Gerry, a retired restauranteur from Indiana, and Theresa, have kids from past relationships; he has two daughters and two granddaughters, while she has a son, daughter, and six grandsons; seen earlier this month in L.A.
Furthermore, TMZ reported that the married couple were actually residing in separate states – with Gerry living at his $637,000 lake house in Northern Indiana, while Theresa remained in her house in her $568,000 New Jersey home, where she’d been living with her family.
Back in December 2023, Gerry admitted that finding a place to live was ‘a big problem’ for them.
At the time, he told People that they were planning to buy a house in Charleston, South Carolina, together – but it seems that never happened.
Gerry pulled on the hearts of millions when he appeared on the show, as he was presented as a loving retired restaurateur who had not had a single date since his wife of 45 years, Toni, suddenly passed away from an infection in 2017.
But an investigation by The Hollywood Reporter released after the finale quickly shattered that reputation.
The publication reported that he had a professional and personal history that did not match with the persona of a grieving man who hadn’t gone on a first date in decades.
Instead, it claimed that he had a secret past that included a three-year relationship after the death of his wife and various blue-collar jobs.
He reportedly dated a woman named Carolyn, who is 14 years his junior and claimed he dumped her because she gained 10 pounds.
They then tied the knot in January during a televised wedding, with Theresa gushing in her vows, ‘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 just stick with you throughout it all’; (seen above)
People quickly rushed to social media to share their thoughts on the divorce – and many admitted that they were ‘not surprised’; seen earlier this month in L.A.
When asked if the scandal ‘played in’ to their split, Theresa insisted, ‘No. Gerry had already discussed that with me and explained it before the report was ever released. So we were good with that.’
People quickly rushed to social media to share their thoughts on the divorce – and many admitted that they were ‘not surprised.’
‘Oh no surprise there,’ one person wrote on X, formerly Twitter. Another agreed, ‘Hate to say it but not really… Told ya so.’
Others said they ‘understood’ their situation, with a fifth tweet reading, ‘Most women in her 70s would tell you, “My grandkids and kids are everything.” I wouldn’t move away from my family for anything. Especially a man. Nope.’
