Gerry Turner Not Perfect, Still Golden

After heartbreak, messy headlines and a shocking health diagnosis, the inaugural Golden Bachelor tells Us why he put it all in a book — and how he found joy again off camera

- by SARAH HEARON

When The Golden Bachelor premiered in September 2023, Gerry Turner seemed like the wonderfully earnest antidote to the franchise's usual chaos — a Midwestern widower with a tender heart and just the right amount of dad (even grandpa!) energy.

As the first lead of the show's later-in-life spinoff, by the time he proposed to Theresa Nist in the emotional finale, fans were fully invested in his second chance at love. Two months later, the pair made history with The Golden Wedding, a live televised ceremony that drew millions of viewers.

But the happily-ever-after didn't last. In April 2024, Turner and Nist announced they had split — a twist that stunned fans and, Turner admits, left him struggling with how the story was told. “Quite honestly, there were some perceptions that I wanted to put on the right track,” Turner, 74, tells Us of his decision to write his new memoir, Golden Years (out Nov. 4). “The question was constantly, 'Why are they getting divorced so quickly?' And I was, I believe, made out to be a villain.”

The truth, he insists, is more nuanced. “Right before [we] went on Good Morning America to announce that divorce, we agreed that we'd protect each other, and I don't feel like that happened,” he says. “I felt like I was taking the brunt of the situation. And I go, 'No, wait a minute, that's not right. It's 50/50.”

Now, Turner is ready for his next act — one that's not being produced for network TV but still comes with a big diamond ring. Since receiving a bone marrow cancer diagnosis last year, he's found love again with retired Indiana teacher Lana Sutton, and the pair announced their engagement on Oct. 3. “For a long, long time, I said, ‘No, that'll never happen,’” Turner says of getting married again. “Now that I have someone who makes me so happy, I can’t say no to that anymore.”

Here, Turner talks to Us about the lessons behind