Golden Bachelor’s Fiancée Says She Started 'Slinking Away' When Gerry Turner Misspoke During Proposal (Exclusive)

After Gerry Turner accidentally tells Theresa Nist that she is “not the one [right] the person for me” in her proposal, admits to PEOPLE that the wait to get her wording right “seemed like an eternity”

Warning: This story contains spoilers from Thursday’s finale The Golden Bachelor.

Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist’s happily ever after didn’t come without a few hiccups.

Throughout The Golden Bachelor process, “what I often reminded myself of is that I’m here to find the one person who’s right for me,” Gerry, 72, tells PEOPLE in a joint interview with his fiancée, 70. “It came down to the big question: Who is the one woman I can’t live without?”

The retired restaurateur wanted to express that sentiment in his proposal to Theresa, which aired on Thursday The Golden Bachelor final, but it didn’t turn out that way.

“I go through a short speech and I look at her and I say, ‘But Theresa, you’re not someone I can live with,’ and I take a long pause,” he says. “And what I actually said was, ‘Theresa, you’re not the one [right] person for me’, which is much harsher.”

This made Theresa think that Gerry wanted to end their relationship. “I’m starting to creep,” she says. “I thought, ‘Somebody get me, somebody get me’.”

Eventually Gerry corrected himself. “I quickly said the right sentence, ‘Theresa, you are the person I can’t live without,’ and the air returned to her body,” he recalls.

Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist from The Golden Bachelor.

Jim Wright

Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner told Fantasy Suite fiancee he planned to propose to: ‘I was very confident’ (Exclusive)

But it took too long for Theresa to get to that moment, especially after Gerry told her during their night in the Fantasy Suite that he planned to propose.

“It seemed like forever,” says the New Jersey resident. “I said, ‘Oh, my God. So what he said is not true. Changed his mind, changed his mind. Somebody catch me, somebody take me.” And then he said the right thing, thank God.”

In the end, Gerry found the proposal “pretty magical”, especially as his daughters and granddaughters got to be there for the big moment.

“Because of the way the sun was and the walking Theresa had to do, she was silhouetted for an awfully long time. And my daughters tell me, ‘Please, let it be Theresa. Please make it Teresa,’ says Gerry. “And when the light fell enough that they could see it was her, they were ecstatic. They were in tears. They were delighted.”

This only strengthened Gerry’s resolve. “So I am very happy that this is their reaction because I rely heavily on them to confirm the decisions that I have tentatively made,” he says.

Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist from The Golden Bachelor.

Jim Wright

Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner announces he and new fiancée will tie the knot in a live televised ceremony

Theresa says her family “fell in love with Gerry” during a meeting in her hometown.

“They were so excited about him,” she says. “Oh my God. When I got home – and my daughter is really the only one who really knows what happened – when I pulled up in their driveway, it was like a welcoming committee, like screaming and screaming and so happy. My daughter loves Gerry, as does everyone else.”

In the months since they got engaged, Theresa and Gerry have kept in touch through regular phone calls and texts.

“I find texting fun,” says Gerry. “He will spend the day with [her grandson] Henry and it’s like, I’m hearing via text, and it’s so fun to imagine what things would be like if I could actually be there and participate. It won’t be a surprise when I actually see them again, and catching up will be a lot easier.”

Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist in ‘The Golden Bachelor’.

Jim Wright

Theresa says their nightly phone calls went on for “hours.”

“I’ll lie on the floor and close my eyes so I can concentrate on the conversation, and it’s been phenomenal,” says the financial services professional. “We really have a lot more in common than we first knew.”

Now that they don’t have to keep their engagement – and the fact that they’re getting married in January – a secret, Gerry and Theresa can’t wait to be in the same place and “sleep in the same bed,” she says. “And we want to get the most comfortable bed ever!”

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The Golden Bachelor can be streamed on Hulu.

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Source: HIS Education