Golden Bachelor star Susan Noles put in her two cents about Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist’s shocking divorce announcement, saying ‘they have their reasons, I’m sure’
During a joint Instagram video on Friday, April 12, with fellow cast member Kathy Swarts, Noles, 67, told fans “don’t give up on the idea of meeting somebody on a show like that,” adding, “There are so many people out there who are still in love. And I truly believe those two fell in love.”
“They have their reasons, I’m sure,” Susan, who officiated the former couple’s wedding, added. “So be supportive everybody. Stay positive, and we wish them all the best.”
Earlier in the video, Kathy, 70, said, “We just watched it on TV. It is sad, it is tragic. Please people be kind. These are our friends. The love didn’t work out, but they’re great people. And our hearts are breaking for them.”
When Gerry, 72, and Theresa, 70, confirmed their plans to divorce, the news left fans reeling.
“I wish them all the very best,” Noles wrote in the comments of Us Weekly’s post about the split.
Theresa Nist, Susan Noles and Gerry Turner on ‘The Golden Wedding.’ Disney/Eric McCandless
Another fan was less sympathetic, and added, “This is a total joke cancel this show already.”
The estranged couple first announced the split on Good Morning America. “Theresa and I have had a number of heart to heart conversations and we’ve looked closely at our situation — our living situation — and we’ve kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it’s time for us to dissolve our marriage,” Gerry said, adding that it’s “best for the happiness of each of us to live apart” and be near their families.
Theresa noted that Gerry’s dating history was not a factor in the split.
“Gerry had already discussed that with me,” Theresa said. “He had explained it to me before the report was ever released, so we were good with that.”
Theresa Nist, Gerry Turner and Susan Noles on ‘The Golden Bachelor.’ Disney/John Fleenor
The pair first met during season 1 of the hit ABC spinoff series and got engaged in the final episode, which wrapped in September 2023. They tied the knot four months later in a January ceremony televised live on the network.
Earlier this month, TMZ reported that Theresa and the retired restaurateur were living apart. A source later confirmed to Us that they were managing a long-distance marriage between what cities/states?
Despite never having shared a residence, Gerry and Teresa had voiced their aspirations of ultimately establishing a shared home together.
“One of the things that I think fate played a hand in is the possibility of where we might wind up living. For the last couple of years, when my family gets together, I’ve talked about moving to South Carolina, and it’s an idea I’ve toyed with. And then in conversation with Theresa, a private moment, she’s saying, ‘Well, yeah, my son lives near Charleston in South Carolina,’” Gerry told People in December 2023. “And all of a sudden it’s like, there’s a big problem that is gone. The issue of compromising on where to live and how to reconcile families and all of that is, it’s no longer an issue.”