Why Is the ‘Golden Bachelor’ Couple Getting a Divorce?

Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist were the first Golden Bachelor couple and less than two months after their engagement was revealed on television on Nov. 30, 2023, they tied the knot in the ABC franchise’s first-ever Golden Wedding.

Now, about three months after the televised event on Jan. 4, the Bachelor‘s history-making couple has announced they are getting a divorce.

They sat down with Good Morning America to reveal their decision but offered little to an audience that will want to know what happened after witnessing their inspiring later-in-life love story unfold. ABC News interviewer Juju Chang’s takeaway after the sitdown was, “It’s a head-scratcher.”

One day before the pre-taped and live finale aired on the After the Final Rose special — where the giddy senior couple, aged 72 for Turner and 70 for Nist, would go on to tell the world just how over-the-moon in love they were — The Hollywood Reporter published a report that raised questions about Turner’s past. On the show, Turner said he hadn’t dated anyone since the death of his first wife. In the story, however, a woman, who requested anonymity, identified herself as Turner’s ex-girlfriend and said they dated for more than two years. When asked about the story during post-finale press, Turner acknowledged “there’s just enough truth in [the article]” but brushed it off as not fitting “with all of the positive things that are going on in my life right now.”

When speaking Friday on GMA, Nist insisted that those late-in-the-game revelations, which also questioned his résumé, did not play a part in their split.

“Gerry had already discussed that with me. He had explained it before the report was ever released, so we were good with that. It didn’t play into it,” said Nist.

The couple, who were all smiles and even ended their interview by saying they still love one another, put it simply: “We’ve come to the conclusion mutually that it’s probably time for us to dissolve our marriage,” said Turner. “I root for her every day.”

Confirming that means they will be getting a divorce, he added, “We just feel like it’s best for the happiness of each of us to live apart.”

Acknowledging that this blows up their previously shared plans for Nist to move to South Carolina with Turner, Nist said, “We looked at home after home, but we never got to the point where we made that decision.”

Nist and Turner said their decision to speak now was because they didn’t want to pretend and let it play out only for the fans, which means they will be returning the ring gifted by the show. (Chang confirmed after the interview that a prenuptial agreement was also in place.)

Nist and Turner insist they are still not giving up on love. “Don’t give up. Stay hopeful,” said Nist to anyone searching for a second or third chance at love, no matter what age — which will include the upcoming Golden Bachelorette lead, another Bachelor spinoff series that was greenlit after the Golden Bachelor proved to be a ratings smash.

“I still love you,” they each said to each other before he kissed her hands.

A head-scratcher, indeed. Watch, below.

On Friday, Golden Bachelor host Jesse Palmer shared a photo on Instagram of him and the couple, writing in the caption, “My heart is forever with these two beautiful souls.”

He continued, “I am eternally grateful to have gotten to know Gerry and Theresa and to have been a small part of their journey. I learned a lot about life, love and family watching and talking with them.”