Gerry Turner isn’t holding anything back in his upcoming memoir — and his ex-wife Theresa Nist might want to brace herself.
The Golden Bachelor alum is releasing his book, Golden Years, on November 4, and he’s promising to tell his truth about their whirlwind romance and short-lived marriage. “I’m not worried; I think she should be worried,” Gerry admitted to Us Weekly in an interview published October 13.
Gerry, 74, and Theresa, 72, tied the knot in a televised ceremony in January 2024 but shocked Bachelor Nation when they announced their separation just four months later. Now, Gerry is ready to reflect on their story with brutal honesty — including owning up to his own shortcomings.
“I was a bit naive; I was a bad listener,” he explained. “I didn’t probe well enough, and that’s both for my sake and for Theresa’s. Had I been better at some of those areas, maybe there would have been a different end.”
Even so, Gerry insists he has no regrets about how things unfolded. “In the big picture, I’m happy that it all happened the way it did, because it got me to where I am,” he shared.
Theresa, for her part, has also reflected on their brief marriage with both honesty and gratitude. Shortly after their split, she posted a statement on Instagram looking back on their time together. “It was one of the most incredible experiences of my life, something I never expected to happen at this point in my life,” she wrote. “I truly thought it was going to last forever. It turns out, even at the age of 70, you don’t know everything.” She added that she took away “so many positives” from their relationship, even if it didn’t go as planned.
Gerry’s memoir will also address the speculation that followed their sudden divorce and why he believes the public got the wrong idea about what happened. “Quite honestly, there were some perceptions that I wanted to put on the right track,” he explained. “The question was constantly, ‘Why are they getting divorced so quickly?’ And I was, I believe, made out to be a villain.”
According to Gerry, the split wasn’t as one-sided as some fans believed. “Right before Theresa and I went on Good Morning America to announce that divorce, we agreed that we would protect each other, and I don’t feel like that happened,” he said. “I felt like I was taking the brunt of the situation. And I go, ‘No, wait a minute, that’s not right. It’s 50/50.’”
These days, Gerry is turning the page in more ways than one. After receiving a bone marrow cancer diagnosis last year, he found love again with retired Indiana teacher Lana Sutton. The couple announced their engagement on October 3. “For a long, long time, I said, ‘No, that’ll never happen,’” he said of marrying again. “Now that I have someone who makes me so happy, I can’t say no to that anymore.”
