After Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist’s wedding special was one of the first programs we looked forward to on the 2024 TV schedule, fans were disappointed to learn the couple had decided to divorce just three months after they said “I Do.” What we knew about the split initially highlighted an ongoing problem with The Bachelor franchise, Turner has just disclosed there was another factor involved – Turner was diagnosed with cancer not long after their wedding.
Both Turner and Nist have spoken to the bombshell news, and how it factored into their relationship and split.
Gerry Turner Reveals He’s Been Diagnosed With Rare Blood Cancer
Turner shared that he was diagnosed with an uncommon and slow-growing blood cancer called Waldenström's macroglobulinemia. The cancer is a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma that mostly forms in the bone marrow, can bring down normal blood cell growth and can lead to anemia and a weakened immune system. As Turner shared in his shocking exclusive with People:
Unfortunately, there’s no cure for it. So that weighs heavily in every decision I make. It was like 10 tons of concrete were just dropped on me. And I was a bit in denial for a while, I didn’t want to admit to it.
As Turner revealed, the diagnosis process began after he visited an orthopedic surgeon regarding a shoulder injury he had. Per Turner, he first talked to Theresa Nist about the situation in February, but he was officially diagnosed in March. As he continued:
I wanted my life to continue on as normal as possible, and that led me to believing that as normal as possible more meant spending time with my family, my two daughters, my two son-in-laws, my granddaughters.The importance of finding the way with Theresa was still there, but it became less of a priority, When you are hit with that kind of news and the shock wears off after a few days or a few weeks and you regroup and you realize what's important to you, that's where you start to move forward. And I hope that people understand in retrospect now that that had a huge bearing on my decisions and I think probably Theresa's as well.
A cancer diagnosis can weigh heavily on any marriage, but Theresa and Gerry had only just begun their life together. They were looking to move in their own home in South Carolina following saying their “I dos,” but according to Gerry Turner, the major life news made him decide not to uproot his life.
Theresa Nist Shares Reaction To Gerry Turner’s Diagnosis
Theresa Nist told People her side of the story, sharing how she felt when she was told the news earlier this year. In her words:
It was when I visited Gerry in Indiana [some time in March]. That's devastating news, really. I was extremely upset… He told me though, that it was the type of cancer that he would most likely outlive.
Both Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist are hopeful regarding The Golden Bachelor’s chances at recovery. Per the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Turner’s cancer is in fact “incurable,” but “many people are able to lead active lives and may experience years of symptom-free remission after treatment.” Nist also said this:
He's a very positive person and I am too, and I know that he will do the best that he can to make this a positive experience. And I have every faith that is going to work out that way, that it's going to be the type of cancer that will not affect his life and that he'll live to be a very healthy old age.
It could not have been easy for Gerry and Theresa to deal with a lot of eyes on them this year (with Eddie Murphy even commenting on their divorce news) and Gerry’s cancer diagnosis. However, when it comes to Nist’s side of things, she says that the news wasn’t necessarily a factor for her in their split. In her words:
If that was something on his part, maybe, I don't know. But no, that didn't factor into ending the relationship. Part of it was the distance, but that wasn't the only part. That's really all I will say.
Surely, Bachelor Nation will be rounding up their support for Gerry Turner now that this is public. We are sending our own love and healing to the Turner family during this time.
