Theresa Nist has no shortage of suitors — and some of them are half her age!
In an exclusive conversation with PEOPLE, The Golden Bachelor alum, 71, opens up about getting back on track after her divorce from Gerry Turner.
She’s staying away from dating apps right now, but that doesn’t mean people aren’t sliding into her DMs.
“They do reach out to me through direct messages on Instagram, but you wouldn’t believe how young these guys are,” she says. – They are so young that they are younger than my son!
Nist laughs: “But these young guys, I’m just confused by that and they’re going to persevere and persevere and persevere. And I’m talking about 33-year-olds!”
(L) Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist.
Frank Micelotta/Disney via Getty
Theresa Nist on Gerry Turner’s cancer diagnosis, end of marriage: ‘I was very upset’ (Exclusive)
Nist found love on the inaugural season of the ABC dating show and became engaged to Turner during the finale, which aired in November 2023. A few months later, they married during a live-televised wedding special in January 2024.
But after only three months of marriage, the newlyweds announced their decision to divorce during a joint interview with Good morning Americawhich aired on April 12, 2024 — the same day Turner officially filed.
Turner revealed on Dec. 11 that he had been diagnosed with slow-growing bone marrow cancer just weeks before their split. Nist told PEOPLE that his diagnosis “wasn’t a breaking factor, at least not for me.”
“If it was something on his part, maybe, I don’t know. But no, it didn’t affect the end of the relationship,” she explains. “Part of it was the distance, but it wasn’t the only part. That’s really all I’m going to say.”
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Theresa Nist.
Anthony Behar/PictureGroup for Disney Entertainment Television
Theresa Nist thought Gerry Turner’s marriage would ‘last forever’ but admits ‘you don’t know everything’ at 70
Although Nist wants to find her next big love, she admits that she hasn’t been on a single date since her divorce.
“They asked me and I said no,” she says. “I don’t know. I’m more clear about what I want, so I don’t want to waste anyone’s time. I definitely want to be with someone. I want to,” she continues. “I think life is much better when you’re with someone, but I know it’s hard even for young people to find people. Imagine how much harder it is… I’m 71 years old. That number scares people.”
Timeline of the relationship between Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist, from The Golden Bachelor divorce
The reality star admits she’s “not sure” if she’d want to get married again, but would like to find a partner who has a sense of “passion”.
“Like a passion for something you love to do, something that makes you wake up in the morning and want to get out of bed,” she says of her dating requirements. “That’s intelligence. That’s being able to speak on the same level. And that’s really unique when you start talking to someone, whether or not you understand each other at your core.”
While she would like to “date someone younger,” Nist says she would like to consider potential partners who are “maybe 10 years younger” at most.
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“I don’t care about age up to a point,” she explains. “[But] too young, we’re just not the same culturally, 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 anything is too old.”
“It’s just your energy. It’s who you really are,” she adds.
Categories: Trends
Source: HIS Education