Since her divorce from The Golden Bachelor‘s Gerry Turner, Theresa Nist has rebranded herself, and it’s making Gerry look like the bad guy in the story. 70-year-old Theresa met 72-year-old Gerry on night one of TheBachelor spin-off show when she stepped out of the limousine pretending to be naked under her coat. She was, of course, fully dressed, wearing a nude-colored dress under her coat. The cute bit charmed Gerry, and set Theresa apart from the other 21 women vying for his heart and roses.
At the end of The Golden Bachelor season 1, Gerry gave his final rose to Theresa, and the two were married in a lavish televised Golden Bachelor wedding a few weeks after going public with their relationship. The whole world seemed to be rooting for the couple, but sadly, they announced their divorce only three months after getting married. Fans of the show quickly took Theresa’s side, which wasn’t entirely fair to Gerry. Since their divorce, Theresa has rebranded herself as the victim, which has sealed Gerry’s reputation as the bad guy.
Theresa Is Painting Herself As The Victim
She Launched A Full Rebrand
Since her divorce from Gerry, Theresa launched a rebranding on social media and has been mostly posting photos of her family. Long before joining the cast of The Golden Bachelor season 1, Theresa had been married to the love of her life, William Nist, who Theresa met when she was only 14 years old and he was 15. Years later, when Theresa was only 19 years old, she and William got married and went on to have two children together. After 42 years of marriage, William passed away in 2014, leaving Theresa a single mom.
Since the divorce announcement, Theresa has branded herself as a kindly grandmother, implying she is innocent in the split.
The truth is that it takes two, and Theresa is just as responsible for the divorce as Gerry is. When they got married, they both knew they had geographic challenges, with Theresa living in New Jersey and Gerry living in Indiana. The Golden Bachelor couple broke up because neither wanted to move away from their children and grandchildren.
Gerry’s Attempts At Looking Like The Good Guy Aren’t Working
He’s Only Making Things Worse
Gerry enjoyed high popularity until the moment he announced his divorce from Theresa, and the fans turned on him completely. Though Gerry and Theresa were equally to blame for their divorce, fans took Theresa’s side. On top of that, there was speculation that Theresa was over Gerry while he was still pining over what could have been with her. Wanting to decrease notions of his lack of desirability, Gerry made comments about his love life to TMZ. He claimed that since being single, women have been flooding his social media DMs.
This seemed like a clear attempt on Gerry’s part to make himself look like he’s still desirable to many women, and it may even be true.
Like Theresa, Gerry is also a widow. He was married to Toni Turner for 43 years before she passed away in 2014 after a brief illness. The Golden Bachelor claimed that he had been single since her death, but it was revealed that he had been in a long-term relationship with a live-in girlfriend. Fans were willing to forgive Gerry for this dishonesty, but it would later influence their overall opinions about Gerry.
People Feel Bad For Theresa
They Don’t Feel Bad For Gerry
Though Gerry and Theresa are equally responsible for the demise of their marriage, Gerry has shouldered the lion’s share of the blame. Maybe it’s because he’s a man, or perhaps because of the way Theresa has handled herself post-divorce. While Gerry had been flaunting his desirability, Theresa had been spending time with her family.
Theresa’s wholesome social media posts highlight her cherished role as a loving mother and grandmother.
In June, Theresa announced that her daughter was pregnant with Theresa’s seventh grandchild. Before her late husband, William, passed away, they had two children, a son and a daughter. Their children would go on to have six children of their own, and they were all boys, so Theresa was hoping for her first granddaughter. It’s not surprising that the contrast between Gerry and Theresa’s behavior has made her look more sympathetic than him.
How Can Gerry Rebrand Himself?
He Should Learn From Theresa
Gerry should take a cue from Theresa’s behavior, and instead of flaunting his desirability, Gerry should focus on his role as a devoted father and grandfather. While Theresa was posting about going on fun trips to visit family, Gerry had been flaunting his celebrity, and it affected how people saw him. On the plus side, Gerry is a prolific philanthropist and has posted about charity events he’s been involved in. However, his work has been overshadowed by other behavior by him.
Another problem for The Golden Bachelor is that some fans remember how he treated 65-year-old fitness trainer Leslie Fhima. Leslie, a twice-divorced single mother, was Gerry’s runner-up on the show. Though Gerry told Leslie she was “the one,” he gave his final rose to Theresa, sending Leslie home broken-hearted and in tears. Leslie was a fan favorite, and many fans were upset about how Gerry misled her. Leslie doesn’t seem like she has gotten over the snub, and neither are some fans.
Since Gerry can’t control how people feel about him, the best thing he can do is continue to live his life the way he wants.
Since he no longer seems to want to be a public figure, he should simply stop caring about what other people think. Instead of trying to rebrand, Gerry should live his life as authentically as possible and let the chips fall where they may. Gerry should take solace in the fact that he will eventually be replaced as a reality television villain. The Golden Bachelor should enjoy the ride.
Gerry Turner | 72 years old | Widowed | Retired restaurateur |
Theresa Nist | 69 years old | Widowed | Financier |