“Theresa and I have had a number of heart-to-heart conversations, and we’ve looked closely at our situation,” Turner, 72, said. “We’ve kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it’s probably time for us to dissolve our marriage.”
“We have received so much love and support from so many people who watch ‘The Golden Bachelor,’ and I don’t think we can tell you how many people told us that it gave them so much hope,” Nist, 70, said, sitting beside Turner. “We want none of that to change for anybody.”
The split came as a shock to some fans who watched the couple bond over the course of the season. Weddings are a rarity for younger contestants on “The Bachelor” and “The Bachelorette,” and the viewers had widely celebrated the wedding of the couple.
In a sea of dating shows featuring young adults in their 20s and 30s, “The Golden Bachelor” premiered last September with a slate of romance hopefuls 60 and over, shining a light on the complexities of senior dating.
Turner, who was described on the show as a retired restaurateur who hoped to find love after his wife died, became the first Golden Bachelor, with looks and charm that had fans of the franchise swooning.
His honeymoon period didn’t last long, though. The Hollywood Reporter published an exposé on Turner before the show’s finale, featuring claims that he misrepresented his work history with a retirement timeline that didn’t match his LinkedIn profile. And contrary to his claims on the show that he hadn’t been seeing anyone as a widower, the article reported, he had numerous past relationships after his wife died.
“I have so many positives to think about that I haven’t really given that article a whole lot of thought,” Turner told Katie Couric after the article generated backlash. He said he took on work after retiring because he “was very happy giving back to the community and doing things that were worth something to other people.” And he denied misrepresenting his relationship history, saying that he “dated a number of women, but then it becomes an issue of how you define whether you’re in a relationship.”
The controversy didn’t spoil the season finale. In an emotional ending, Turner proposed to Nist, whose spouse also died, choosing to give her the final rose over the other remaining contestant, Leslie Fhima.
Five weeks after Nist said “yes,” Turner and Nist were married in a glamorous ceremony in California, which was televised live on ABC.
A month later, the network announced that “The Golden Bachelorette” would premiere in the fall.
“Golden Bachelor” viewers lamented the couple’s split this week, and tsked the perils of reality television dating.
“THERE IS NO LOVE IN THIS WORLD IS THERE?” one asked on X.
“If these two crazy kids can’t make it, what hope is there for the rest of us?” Washington Post associate editor and columnist Karen Tumulty wrote on the platform.
But on “Good Morning America,” holding hands, Turner and Nist said they still had love for each other and didn’t want anyone to feel discouraged.
“Don’t give up,” Nist said. “Stay in it. Stay hopeful. Because we are.”