The Golden Bachelor winner Theresa Nist has revealed that men are sliding into her DMS -- and many of them are half her age!
However, it appears men are reaching out to her through social media.
"I do get approached through Instagram direct messages, but you wouldn't believe how young these guys are," Theresa, 71, told People.
"They're so young that they're younger than my son!"
Theresa shares a son, Tommy, and daughter, Jen, with her late husband William "Billy" Nist, who passed away in 2014.
"But these young guys, I'm just baffled by it," Theresa told the magazine with a laugh, "and they'll persist and persist and persist. And I'm talking 33-year-olds!"
Theresa said she's open to dating "someone younger" but she'll probably only consider men who are "maybe 10 years younger" at the most.
"To me, age, it doesn't matter up to a point," Theresa explained.
"[But] too young, we are just not culturally the same, we didn't experience the same things growing up, the same music, the same movies. It's hard to have a conversation. And I don't think that anything is too old."
Theresa said it's all about one's "energy" and "who you are, basically."
Theresa revealed that she'd love to meet a man and settle down with a partner in the near future; however, she hasn't gone on any dates since her split from Gerry.
"I have been asked, and I've said no," Theresa admitted.
"I don't know. I'm more clear on what I want, so I don't want to waste anyone's time. I definitely do want to be with someone. I do."
Theresa said she believes life "is so much better when you're with someone" and have a teammate.
"But I know that it's even hard for young people to find people. Imagine how much harder it gets... I'm 71. That number scares people," Theresa said.
Theresa said she's "not sure" if she'd like to get married again but that she's definitely looking for a man who will have some pep in his step.
Theresa explained how she'd like to meet a man who has "passion" for something he loves to do.
"[I hope he has] something that makes you wake up and want to get out of bed in the morning," Theresa shared of what she's looking for in her next partner.
"It's intelligence. It's to be able to speak on the same level. And that's really unique when you start talking to someone, whether or not you, you're understanding each other at your core."
Theresa fell in love with Gerry on The Golden Bachelor and they got engaged during the season finale in November 2023.
Gerry and Theresa had a whirlwind romance and tied the knot for a live televised special in early January 2024 on ABC.
But Gerry and Theresa announced their split in April, and Gerry filed for divorce that same month.
Gerry just announced on December 11 that he was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer in March, only weeks before he and Theresa publicly announced their breakup following three months of marriage.
Gerry told People last week that in attempt to live a "normal" life, as much as possible, he came to the conclusion that he wanted to spend time with his family and so making his marriage to Theresa work was "less of a priority."
However, Theresa later shared a different version of the story with People.
Theresa said Gerry informed her of his cancer diagnosis when she visited him in Indiana in March.
Gerry's diagnosis of Waldenstrom's macroglobulinemia "wasn't a factor in the ending of the relationship, at least not for me," according to Theresa.
"If that was something on his part, maybe, I don't know. But no, that didn't factor into ending the relationship."
Since Theresa believes cancer had nothing to do with her divorce from Gerry, she explained what went wrong, from her perspective.
"Part of it was the distance, but that wasn't the only part. That's really all I will say," Theresa teased.
Theresa is still holding down a job in finance in her native New Jersey, while Gerry -- who was born in Iowa -- is a retired restaurateur who lives on a lake in Indiana.
When the pair parted ways earlier this year, they said that neither person wanted to relocate since it meant having to leave family and friends behind.
Theresa also noted how four weeks of The Golden Bachelor was a "very short span of time to get to know someone, and it's a very accelerated pace."
"During that four weeks, it's not that you're with that person every day anyway. There were only certain times that I was with him one-on-one," Theresa said.
Theresa had also been hoping that she and Gerry would move to Charleston, SC, following their early January 2024 wedding, but she said Gerry changed his mind.
"He said, 'No, let's do it six weeks here and six weeks there.'" Theresa claimed.
"And I didn't want to do that. I really wanted a home together. I wanted the joy of being in a home together and designing a home together."
Theresa shared how she and Gerry barely talk these days but some of their daughters are still in touch.
With what would have been their first wedding anniversary right around the corner, Theresa admitted January 4 is going to be a "bittersweet" date.
"Sometimes I just can't believe that I got married and divorced this year," Theresa said last week.
"How did that happen? How did this all happen? So much happened to me, both good and bad, but I never like to regret anything. I like to say we all learn lessons from what happens to us."
And Theresa has apparently learned to appreciate her life even more than before.
"I was very appreciative before, but I think I'm more settled and relaxed and not so anxious or upset about anything," Theresa continued. "Not that I was upset before, but I do really appreciate where I am in life."
And Theresa also said that she wishes Gerry all "the best."
"I know that he was in a very difficult situation and that good things will come to him," Theresa said.
"And I wish for him a long and healthy, prosperous life, and I hope that he finds his person. I want him to be so happy, and I just wish him all the best of everything in the world."
