The news of Gerry Turner’s incurable cancer diagnosis has left his ex-wife, Theresa Nist, devastated. After People revealed his health struggles on Wednesday, she expressed her sorrow, saying, “That’s devastating news, really. I was extremely upset.”
Nist recounted that she learned about his condition back in March, a month before their separation announcement, during a visit to him in Indiana. “He told me, though, that it was the type of cancer that he would most likely outlive,” the 71-year-old from New Jersey shared.
Theresa Nist shares heartbreak after learning of Gerry’s incurable condition
Despite the challenges he faces, Nist remains hopeful that Turner, now 72, can lead a “long and healthy, prosperous life” filled with happiness. She described him as a “very positive person” and expressed confidence that he would strive to make the best of the situation. “I have every faith that it’s going to work out that way, that it’s going to be the type of cancer that will not affect his life and that he’ll live to be a very healthy old age,” she added.
Acknowledging his difficult situation, Nist expressed her best wishes for him, stating, “I just wish him all the best of everything in the world.” Turner shocked Bachelor Nation on Wednesday by revealing that he has been diagnosed with a slow-growing form of bone marrow cancer called Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia.
According to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia is a rare cancer that typically originates in the bone marrow. During his interview with People, Turner explained that he discovered his condition while receiving treatment for a three-year-old shoulder injury. After his orthopedic surgeon informed him that little could be done for his shoulder, he was told about “some unusual blood markers.”
Following this, he was referred to an oncologist and is now being treated by a hematology-oncology group in Fort Wayne. It was then that doctors informed him there is “no cure” for the rare cancer. Reflecting on that moment, Turner 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.”
This diagnosis prompted Turner to shift his priorities, focusing more on spending time with his two daughters and grandchildren rather than with Nist. He explained, “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 sons-in-law, my granddaughters.”
He acknowledged that while the relationship with Nist was still important, it became less of a priority after receiving his diagnosis. “When you are hit with that kind of news and the shock wears off after a few days or a few weeks, you regroup and realize what’s important to you; that’s where you start to move forward,” he said.
However, Nist disagreed with Turner’s perspective, telling People that his cancer “wasn’t a factor in the ending of the relationship, at least not for [her].” She added, “If that was something on his part, maybe, I don’t know. But no, that didn’t factor into ending the relationship. Part of it was the distance, but that wasn’t the only part. That’s really all I will say.”
Turner and Nist announced their “mutual” divorce in April, just three months after getting married. The couple, who finalized their divorce in June, got engaged during the first season of The Golden Bachelor in late 2023.
