[Warning: The following contains MAJOR spoilers from The Golden Bachelor Finale.]
After weeks of dinner dates, pickleball games, home visits, and fantasy suites, The Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner picked Theresa Nist as the recipient of his final rose on Thursday’s (November 30) season finale.
Now, the loved-up couple are opening up about their time on the show and what ultimately drew them together. Appearing on ABC’s Good Morning America on Friday, December 1, Turner and Nist said their similar pasts are what bonded them.
“We understood what each had gone through,” Nist said, referring to how both she and Turner lost their spouses and have lived alone as widowed parents to adult children.
“It may have been one of the first times I’ve talked about [losing my wife], and I didn’t cry because I knew she understood,” Turner added.
But it’s not just their similar backgrounds that brought the pair together, Turner said “there’s a number of things” that drew him to Nist.
“I found my person. And the process works.”
A #GoldenBachelor no more! Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist open up to @JujuChangABC about their second chance at love, the big proposal and plans for a live TV wedding. https://t.co/OR3TG81EB7 pic.twitter.com/5UhIk3dPju
— Good Morning America (@GMA) December 1, 2023
“The sense of humor we share is huge,” he explained. “And I’m finding that she is very good at keeping me grounded.”
As for Nist, she said sparks flew “immediately when I met him” and then again “sitting on the bench” with him in one of their first one-on-one dates, which ended with a flashmob dancing to Journey’s “Don’t Stop Believing.” “That date was out of this world amazing.”
Still, Nist allowed Turner to go on his own journey throughout the series as he got to know each of the 22 women. “We had beautiful, wonderful women there, Faith, Leslie, they’re amazing,” Nist added.
Turner went on quite the emotional rollercoaster across the season, sometimes struggling with conflicting feelings. He’d even received some criticism for telling multiple women he loved them.
“I felt like a villain at times,” Turner stated. “It is an artificial environment, but I didn’t realize how impactful it would be.”
While he’s become something of a national icon, Turner made sure to put the focus on the entire cast of The Golden Bachelor.
“It’s not just about me,” he said. “Remember, 22 women were there; everyone brought that genuine feeling of support and love for each other. And it’s like, we are not invisible.”
“It was life-changing for us,” Nist added, noting how special it was to have older women involved in such a popular reality show. “We did feel like we were important and that they were telling our story. This is amazing that this is happening at this time in our lives.”
As for what’s next, well, Turner and Nist are set to tie the knot in a live broadcast on ABC on January 4.
“There’s a certain amount of time involved when you get to 70, so let’s get married, let’s go right now,” Turner said.
The Golden Wedding, January 4, 8/7c, ABC