Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner, 72, has shared a heartbreaking diagnosis while opening up about the reason behind his divorce from Theresa Nist, 71.
The US reality television star split from Nist, whom he met on the series, three months after their wedding in January. They finalised their divorce in June.
In a new interview with People, Turner revealed he was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer in March, shortly before their shock split.
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“I think it’s time, also because it probably will clear up a lot of mystery around what happened back in February, March and April,” he told the outlet.
“As Theresa and I were trying very hard to find our lifestyle and where we were going to live and how we were going to make our life work, I was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer,” he continued.
Turner confirmed there is “no cure” which “weighs heavily in every decision” he makes.
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The reality star’s heartbreaking diagnosis came after a visit to an orthopedic surgeon for a previously sustained shoulder injury.
He was then referred to an oncologist, who diagnosed him with a slow-growing bone cancer called ldenström’s macroglobulinemia.
”It was like 10 tonnes 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,” he said.
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Turner shared the heartbreaking health news with his then-wife Nist.
After his diagnosis, the reality star said he had wanted to spend more time with family, including his two daughters he shares with his late wife, and his two granddaughters.
“And the importance of finding the way with Theresa was still there, but it became less of a priority,” he told the outlet, adding his health “had a huge bearing on my decisions and I think probably Theresa’s”.
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Turner and Nist met and fell in love on the US reality series The Golden Bachelor in 2023. In the final episode, Turner gave his last rose to Nist.
Shortly after the show aired, the couple tied the knot in a televised wedding ceremony on January 4, 2024 in La Quinta, California.
However, just three months after walking down the aisle, Turner officially filed for divorce on April 12.
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In a separate interview with People, Nist said Turner’s diagnosis was “devastating” but shared a different reason for their split.
Nist claimed Turner’s cancer “wasn’t a factor in the ending of the relationship, at least not for me.”
Instead the 71-year-old put their breakup partly down to “distance”.
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