The inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor ended with a painful divorce, but Theresa Nist is the proverbial woman who has everything, so she doesn't need Gerry Turner. After a season of dates, hometown visits, rose ceremonies, and moments of conflict, 70-year-old Theresa married 72-year-old Gerry in a highly anticipated and nationally televised wedding event. The ceremony was attended by Bachelor Nation, including many of the women Gerry had just rejected during his season.
The Golden Bachelor wedding was a magical event, with Theresa making for a beautiful bride and Gerry looking dapper in his formal wear. The attractive couple appeared to have the whole world rooting for them, as they came to represent the universal hope for second chances. The dream of a happy ending fell apart when the Golden couple announced their divorce less than four months later, dashing the hopes of Bachelor Nation. With her marriage in tatters, Theresa has built an amazing life for herself, and she doesn't Gerry.
Theresa Has An Amazing Family
Mother Of Two, Grandmother Of 6
This wasn't Theresa's first brush with love, as The Golden Bachelor season 1 star had met the love of her life, William Nist when she was only 14 years old and he was only 16. They were married a few years later, when Theresa was 18 years old and William was 20, in a much less grand wedding than the one Theresa would have with Gerry many years later. William and Theresa were very happy together and went on to have two children, who are now adults with their children.
Sadly, after 42 years of marriage, William passed away in 2014, leaving Theresa a widower. Thankfully, Theresa had her children to lean on, who would go on to give her six grandchildren. Since her divorce from The Golden Bachelor, Theresahas continued to lean on her children and grandchildren, who have always been a source of comfort and support. Recently, a proud Theresa announced her daughter's pregnancy, blissfully thrilled to be preparing for her seventh grandchild.
Theresa Has A Great Career
She's An Incredible Success Story
Theresa was a homemaker without a college degree when she decided to casually buy some stocks. Turns out Theresa was a gifted day trader and made a fortune selling stocks in her spare time. When she decided she wanted a job for health insurance purposes, she applied for a job at the day trading company she had been freelancing for. Despite the stiff competition from career traders with elite college degrees, Theresa got the job based on her freelance success and has been hard at work ever since.
Though Theresa had intended to quit after settling down with Gerry, she continued to work throughout her marriage and was probably happy to have the distraction.
During one of her first dates with Gerry on The Golden Bachelor, Theresa told Gerry about her job, and he was very impressed, referring to her as a real "success story." Gerry wasn't threatened by Theresa's success, like many other men in his position may have been, says a lot about Gerry. He isn't intimidated by a successful woman who makes more money than he does, and that's one thing Gerry has going for him. The Golden Bachelor couple had a prenup and walked away from the marriage financially unscathed.
But She's Not Everyone's Cup Of Tea
Theresa has the inviting warmth of a great hostess, so she's popular wherever she goes, and makes friends easily. She continues to be close with several fellow The Golden Bachelor season 1 contestants, especially Gerry's runner-up, 65-year-old dance instructor Leslie Fhima. Leslie, the twice-divorced single mother, wasn't one of Gerry's early favorites, but she grew on him as the season progressed, and received one of his final two roses. Though she was heartbroken when Gerry chose Theresa instead, Leslie stoically attended The Golden Bachelor wedding and went on to develop a close friendship with Theresa.
After the divorce announcement, Theresa traveled to visit Leslie in Minnesota, as they had long discussed doing. Leslie and Theresa posted the photos on Instagram, which may have bothered Gerry. Though neither of the women found love on The Golden Bachelor, they formed friendships with each other. Several of the other women, like 71-year-old Kathy Swarts and 67-year-old Susan Noles, have also formed close friendships.
Though Theresa and Kathy are friends now, things weren't always so friendly between the two women. While filming The Golden Bachelor, Kathy grew annoyed by Theresa talking about her great connection with Gerry. Kathy felt Theresa should keep that information to herself, out of respect for the other women. At one point, in a quip heard around the world, Kathy took Theresa aside and told her to "zip it." Though Theresa and Kathy seemed to make up, Kathy and Susan went on to take Gerry's side in the divorce.
