ABC’s first “Golden Bachelor” has opened up about a cancer diagnosis that completely changed the course of his life.
In an interview with People magazine, Gerry Turner revealed that he was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer just weeks before his split from Theresa Nist.
“There’s a topic that I haven’t wanted to talk about until now,. I think it’s time, also because it probably will clear up a lot of mystery around what happened back in February, March and April,” Turner told the outlet.
“As Theresa and I were trying very hard to find our lifestyle and where we were going to live and how we were going to make our life work, I was unfortunately diagnosed with cancer,” he said.
The cancer was discovered when Turner went to see an orthopedic surgeon about an old injury. Following some bloodwork, Turner was advised to check in with his primary care physician. From there, he met with an oncologist and was given the news: He has Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia.
“Unfortunately, there’s no cure for it. So that weighs heavily in every decision I make. It was like 10 tons of concrete were just dropped on me. And I was a bit in denial for a while, I didn’t want to admit to it,” he continued.
Turner hopes that fans can look at the end of his marriage to Nist differently knowing this detail.
What Is Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia?
According to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia is rare. There are only about 2,000 to 3,000 new cases diagnosed per year.
“It is a slow-growing type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Waldenström’s mostly forms in the bone marrow and can slow normal blood cell growth, which can lead to anemia and a weakened immune system,” the hospital’s website reads.
While Waldenström’s doesn’t have a cure, it’s usually treatable and patients can live relatively normal lives for many years. Of course, there can be complications and various organs in the body can be affected, including the liver, lymph nodes, and spleen, to name a few.
Theresa Nist Wishes Gerry Turner the ‘Best’
In his interview with People, Turner said that his cancer diagnosis made him rethink things in his life. He decided that he wanted to spend more time with his family, and working things out with Nist became “less of a priority.”
In her own interview with People magazine, Turner’s ex-wife said that she found out about Turner’s cancer diagnosis in March.
That’s devastating news, really. I was extremely upset,” she told the outlet. “He told me though, that it was the type of cancer that he would most likely outlive,” she continued.
“He’s a very positive person and I am too, and I know that he will do the best that he can to make this a positive experience. And I have every faith that is going to work out that way, that it’s going to be the type of cancer that will not affect his life and that he’ll live to be a very healthy old age,” she added.
Turner and Nist got engaged on the finale of “The Golden Bachelor,” which aired in November 2023. The two exchanged vows in a live, televised wedding that aired on ABC in January 2024. Just three months later, they announced they were ending their marriage.
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