GOLDEN Bachelor Gerry Turner, who shocked America by splitting from beloved winner Theresa Nist, has revealed he’s fighting cancer.
Turner said he got the life-changing diagnosis just weeks before the couple got an abrupt divorce.
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The retired restaurateur, 72, captured America’s hearts after starring in the first season of the Golden Bachelor.
However, after ending the season on a high note, he shocked the public by sharing that he and Nist were getting a divorce after just three months of marriage.
Now, he’s given an inside look at what informed the heartbreaking decision.
“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 told People.
READ MORE ON GOLDEN BACHELOR
Turner was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer in March.
“Unfortunately, there’s no cure for it. So that weighs heavily in every decision I make,” he said.
“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.”
He said after the shock of the news wore off, he deliberated on his priorities and decided to spend more time with his family instead of focusing on a new marriage.
“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,” he explained.
“And the importance of finding the way with Theresa was still there, but it became less of a priority.”
Nist was “awestruck” when she learned of his diagnosis in a brief conversation, Turner said, adding that he wishes her “all of the good luck in the world, that she finds everything she wants to.”
“That glamour and starstruck, whirlwind time was really a cherished memory,” he said of their relationship.
“It was wonderful, and I certainly wish it would’ve had a different ending, that we would’ve found our way, that we would’ve found solutions to a problem.
“And most of all, that I would not have had a diagnosis that so strongly influenced my decisions and the direction I went.”
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.”
Gerry Turner
The couple’s sudden divorce sparked speculation as Golden Bachelor fans wondered if there was more to the pair’s story.
Nist and Turner said they were splitting because they couldn’t agree on where to settle down when they announced their divorce on Good Morning America.
‘HUGE BEARING’ ON DIVORCE DECISION
Turner said the judgments made about the couple after their breakup were unfair.
“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,” he said.
“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.”
“Hopefully they’ll look at things a little bit differently, that maybe it wasn’t quite a rash, fast decision that people thought. That there was something else going on.”
Despite his diagnosis, Turner said he’s living life as fully as possible.
“I’m going to pack as much fun as I possibly can into my life and enjoy every moment,” he said.
“And when I’m gone, I’m gone, but I’m not going to have regrets.”
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