Before diving into his bombshell divorce from Theresa Nist in his new book, OG Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner reflected on the death of his first wife, Toni, in Golden Years.
Gerry, now 74, was married to Toni, his high school sweetheart, for 43 years when she died suddenly in July 2017. In his memoir, out Tuesday, November 4, Gerry recalled finding “evidence” in the back of a bathroom drawer that his late wife had been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
“There was literature, prescriptions, a blood glucose meter, and other supplies — all apparently untouched and unused,” he wrote. “She’d never mentioned this big diagnosis to me or her daughters, and, as far as I could tell, she’d never followed through with treatment. My mind reeled with what-ifs. Untreated or unmanaged diabetes stresses the body, particularly the kidneys.”
The revelation prompted a lot of questions for Gerry. “Had Toni had the means to live longer, but been undone in the end by the belief that any kind of whining was frivolous?” he asked in the book. “Had I somehow contributed to this mentality? Why hadn’t she felt comfortable confiding in me about something as important as having diabetes?”
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Gerry and his daughters, Jenny and Angie, struggled with the discovery.
“The loss of any loved one is sad. But to think it might have been possible, no matter how remotely, that she could have lived longer or still be alive today, is even more painful,” he wrote. “Saddest of all is that Toni didn’t feel safe enough to tell anyone the truth of what was happening with her. When I shared this discovery with my daughters, they were as shocked as I, if not more.”
Last month, Us Weekly exclusively spoke to Gerry about his book, including Toni’s private health issues.
“It was perplexing. Toni was always very concerned about her appearance, and with the passing of time, the number of pounds she put on, and I think as her health situation came to an end, that was a contributing part,” he told Us. “And when I found those testing devices and all the information about it, I thought, ‘Why was I not a good enough partner, close enough to her that she didn’t share that with me?’ That still bothers me. You have that bond with someone, and 43 years we were married, that you should have no barriers. There should be nothing between you that you can’t share.”
Gerry noted that writing about his late spouse was one of the hardest parts about the book process.
Theresa Nist Asked Ex-Husband Gerry Turner What’s in His Memoir
“It was incredibly difficult. As I sat in front of my laptop, I could take the time to pause and shed a tear,” he told Us. “I’ve learned to celebrate all the things that she was good at and all those great memories, and that has helped me so much. But still, there’s moments.”
Gerry went on to become the first star of The Golden Bachelor in 2023. He married Theresa in a live TV ceremony in January 2024, but the twosome filed for divorce just three months later. He shares his side of the story in the book, without holding back.
“Quite honestly, there were some perceptions that I wanted to put on the right track,” Gerry said of his intentions behind the book. “The question was constantly, ‘Why are they getting divorced so quickly?’ And I was, I believe, made out to be a villain.”
In response to our story, Theresa told Us, in part, “those in glass houses should not throw stones.”
Gerry — who was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer in 2024 — subsequently announced his engagement to girlfriend Lana Sutton.
“We’re both enjoying the travel, adventure and spontaneity,” he gushed to Us before he popped the question in October. “I feel how much she cares for me — some of the little gestures and so forth. I’ve never seen her without a smile on her face and a positive attitude. It’s just so uplifting. And I’ll occasionally drift off thinking about the health situation I have, and, man, she just smacks me and says, ‘Hey, we’re going to enjoy every day we have.’ And I really could not be more blessed to have found a person who’s so compatible with me.”
