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It’s time for us to stop being shady and theorizing about why Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist called off their wedding. The Golden Bachelor alum just announced that he was diagnosed with an incurable cancer, and it played a significant role in the golden divorce.
Previously, insiders suggested that the breakup was due to them being unable to decide on a place to live. Bachelor Nation had no shortage of theories on the issue. Now, Gerry is getting candid about how his health impacted the short-lived marriage.
Gerry Turner’s life-changing diagnosis
ABC/Brian Bowen SmithAfter months of speculation about the breakup, Gerry opened up to People about the surprising decision to end his relationship with Theresa after just three months of marriage.
“There’s a topic that I haven’t wanted to talk about until now,” he explained. “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.”
“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 announced.
Gerry explained that three years ago, he injured his shoulder during a pickleball class. He never got it looked at, but when he finally saw an orthopedic surgeon, they spotted “unusual blood markers.” From there, Gerry said it was a “process” to receive a diagnosis.
Gerry explained, “And so an orthopedic surgeon went to my family doctor, my family doctor referred me to an oncologist, and now I’m working with a hematology-oncology group in Fort Wayne.”
Eventually, he was diagnosed with a slow-growing “bone marrow cancer” called Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia. The disease causes white blood cells to turn into cancerous cells that build up inside the bone marrow.
“Unfortunately, there’s no cure for it. So that weighs heavily in every decision I make,” he said of the diagnosis. “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.”
How Gerry broke the news to Theresa
Photo: Disney/John FleenorSince Gerry’s diagnosis was such a process, it was difficult for him to share the news with his new wife. He said in February, he told her that he had a “blood disorder.” In March after doing more testing, he got a more definitive answer and broke the news that he had cancer. This was just two months after they tied the knot on television.
“Certainly, it was hard for me,” Gerry said of the emotional moment. “But the conversation was brief and I think [she was] a little bit awestruck by the news. So understandable.”
Gerry admitted that figuring out a life with Theresa became less of a “priority” once he got the diagnosis. Instead, he wanted to focus on spending time with his family. Suddenly, all of the rumors we heard about their breakup make a lot more sense. This also explains why Gerry hasn’t been dating after the split.
“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,” Gerry added. “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.”
TELL US – DO YOU HAVE ANY WORDS OF SUPPORT FOR GERRY AS HE NAVIGATES HIS DIAGNOSIS?
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