It’s already been 15 months since The Golden Bachelor stars Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist shocked fans by calling it quits just three months after their highly televised wedding. The sudden split had stirred a storm among fans and industry insiders, with everyone wondering what had gone wrong between the couple after such loved-up moments on the show. Now, Gerry is once again back in the headlines for a fresh chapter of his life.
The 74-year-old retired restaurateur recently got engaged to his girlfriend, Lana Sutton, a retired teacher he met on Facebook shortly after his divorce from Theresa. Their romance blossomed behind the scenes, away from the media glare, and has now given the Golden Bachelor alum the fresh start fans hoped for him to find.
With Gerry’s new chapter about to start, the news has reopened the question that Bachelor Nation has never stopped wondering – what really caused his marriage to Therea to fall apart so quickly?
Inside Gerry and Theresa’s romance that blossomed like a television fairytale
In 2023, Turner became ABC’s first-ever Golden Bachelor after the show premiered. At 72, Turner soon became a much-loved face on the show, winning hearts with his charming presence and proving that love has no age limit. Towards the end of the reality show, he proposed to Theresa Nist in front of millions of viewers.
Just months after their glamorous proposal, the pair hopped on the marital waggon together. In January 2024, Gerry and Theresa had a lavish wedding, which was largely televised by ABC, as per the Golden Bachelor tradition. For the unversed, if two contestants from the show fall in love and decide to marry, their wedding is sponsored by the makers and televised.
However, the much-loved couple, who once became symbols of second chances, shockingly filed for divorce only three months into the marriage in April 2024. And by June 2024, their divorce was officially finalised.
Did Gerry’s cancer diagnosis cause the divorce?
Months after the divorce, in December 2024, Gerry revealed the heartbreaking news of his cancer diagnosis. In an interview with PEOPLE, the Golden Bachelor alum shared how his diagnosis with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, a rare bone marrow cancer, made him rethink his marriage. For Gerry, confronting illness and mortality brought clarity. Speaking to PEOPLE, the former restaurateur admitted how, after knowing about the non-curable nature of his diagnosis, he somehow found clarity in his marriage with Nist. He shared:
“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. And the importance of finding the way with Theresa was still there, but it became less of a priority.”
To Gerry, the diagnosis wasn’t just a health setback, but a turning point that made him focus more on his family and personal peace, even if that meant stepping away from his new marriage.
What Theresa Nist said about the divorce, and whether illness was the reason
For Theresa, it was never the cancer diagnosis that broke the marriage. She strongly disagreed with Gerry’s explanation and clarified that his illness could never have caused the split. In an interview with Us Weekly, the 72-year-old responded to Gerry’s remarks, clarifying, “His illness was not the reason whatsoever.”
Later, in a June 5, 2025, episode of The Ben and Ashley I Almost Famous Podcast, Nist noted how she stayed by her late husband, Billy’s, side for years while he battled his illness. Adding that her relationship with Turner simply didn’t work out, Theresa shared:
“It was just, at one point, Gerry said, ‘This isn’t going to work out, is it?’ I’ve never ever said what the reason is, but right now I decided to start writing about it. I don’t know if I’ll ever release it. It might just be for me.”
Unlike younger bachelor couples, Gerry and Theresa had less time together during filming, often spending only brief moments on-screen. After they got married, real-life issues, including long-distance living, began to take a toll on their relationship. Reflecting on the hurried nature of it all, Nist admitted, “We probably should have waited.”
Gerry is starting anew off-screen with his new fiancée
While Theresa has stayed private since the divorce, Gerry has stepped back into the spotlight with the surprising news of his engagement. His fiancée, Lana Sutton, reportedly met him through Facebook after his divorce. They had an instant connection, and with time, they fell in love.
Turner and Lara Sutton reportedly started dating in March 2025 and have since taken many trips together, as indicated by their loved-up Instagram posts. He told PEOPLE that they had been travelling nearly every weekend since they began dating, and it’s their shared love of adventure that brought them closer. On October 3, 2025, Gerry shared the news on his Instagram, accompanied by a photo of Sutton wearing a round diamond ring with a band of smaller diamonds. The post was captioned as:
“We’ve got BIG news. The Golden Bachelor is OFF the market. I found my perfect match, and she said ‘YES’. I love this woman.”
Gerry and Theresa are now planning to settle down in Indiana, building the kind of stable life he had been searching for all along.
Read Next: Diddy’s Dating History, Once Dated Jennifer Lopez, Cassie Ventura, Dad To Seven Kids From Four Women