Theresa Nist is in the midst of a divorce from Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner, but she’s not quite ready to part with her Neil Lane diamond ring.
On Friday, April 12, Theresa, 70, was spotted wearing her custom wedding ring, which features 18 round brilliant cut diamonds, following the news that Gerry, 72, filed for divorce just three months after their televised wedding.
Earlier that day, Theresa told journalist Juju Chang during her and Gerry’s Friday appearance on Good Morning America that she will eventually have to give the jewelry back, per the couple’s agreement with ABC.
Theresa and Gerry explained during the segment that, while they still loved each other, their long distance living situation was the main cause of their breakup.
“Theresa and I have had a number of heart-to-heart conversations,” Gerry shared during the show. “We’ve looked closely at our living situations and we’ve kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it’s time for us to dissolve our marriage.”
He continued, “The things that strike me the most in our conversations, it’s been how dedicated both of us are to our families. 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.”
Us Weekly confirmed that Turner filed to end the pair’s marriage in his hometown of Petersburg, Indiana, listing Friday as their date of separation. He cited the “irretrievable breakdown” of their marriage as the reason for the split, and they have an existing prenuptial agreement.
While the former Golden Bachelor couple never lived under the same roof together, they previously expressed that they dreamed of doing so one day in South Carolina.
“One of the things that I think fate played a hand in is the possibility of where we might wind up living. For the last couple of years, when my family gets together, I’ve talked about moving to South Carolina, and it’s an idea I’ve toyed with. And then in conversation with Theresa, a private moment, she’s saying, ‘Well, yeah, my son lives near Charleston in South Carolina,’” Gerry explained to People in December 2023. “And all of a sudden it’s like, there’s a big problem that is gone. The issue of compromising on where to live and how to reconcile families and all of that is, it’s no longer an issue.
Theresa agreed, adding that she envisioned them purchasing a large home in the future so that their adult children and grandchildren could feel comfortable coming to visit.
Gerry and Theresa met and fell in love on the first season of The Golden Bachelor, which ended with them getting engaged during the show’s finale episode in November 2023. On January 4, 2024, the twosome tied the knot in front of ABC cameras.
This was the second marriage for both reality stars. Gerry was previously married to his high school sweetheart, Toni, for 43 years before she passed away in 2017. Theresa, meanwhile, was married to high school boyfriend, Billy, for 42 years before his death in 2014.
