'The Golden Bachelor' alums Kathy Swarts and Susan Noles defend Gerry Turner in Theresa Nist divorce

The Golden Bachelor alums Kathy Swarts and Susan Noles have apparently taken Gerry Turner's side in his divorce from Theresa Nist.


Susan and Kathy, who both competed for Gerry's heart on The Golden Bachelor last year, appeared on SiriusXM's "The Jess Cagle Show," which is co-hosted by Jess Cagle and Julia Cunningham, and they certainly spoke their minds about Gerry and Theresa's three-month marriage.

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"I've got to support this man a little bit. I feel like he got the wrong end of it," Susan said.

"Theresa decided not to move and not to quit her job. He got frustrated. Who can blame him? I mean, I would've never said I would move to that place, wherever that is, in the middle of nowhere."


Gerry and Theresa got engaged on The Golden Bachelor finale, which aired in November 2023, and then they wed on January 4 in a live televised special for ABC.

However, the pair announced their breakup on April 12, and Gerry filed for divorce from his wife on that same day.

When the pair spoke about their split with Juju Chang on ABC Nightline, Gerry and Theresa revealed they're divorcing because neither one of them was willing to relocate and move away from their children, grandchildren and families.

Gerry has been living in a lake house in Indiana, while Theresa is still working a job in financial services in her home state of New Jersey.

"So we look at these situations and I think we just feel like it's best for the happiness of each of us to live apart," Gerry shared at the time.


Kathy joked to Susan on the radio show, "We love cornfields. Don't lie. We love cornfields. No, here's the thing. Gerry made a huge, let me emphasize, huge mistake. He could have had Susan. He could have had me. Alright. Not really, but let's just go with it for a minute."

Susan laughed and replied, "Do not do that while I'm taking a drink."

Kathy continued to knock Indiana, saying, "Let's face it, Susan. You and I were not going to shuck corn in Indiana. We're not doing it... [Nancy Hulkower] lives outside of Washington, D.C. and she's like, 'Ladies, trust me. He doesn't live on a lake. He lives on a pond.'"

Kathy joked, "Drag that lake!"

"Poor Gerry," Susan interjected. "We love you, Gerry. We do."


And Kathy confirmed that's definitely the case.

"We love you, Gerry, and we're here for you," Kathy said. "We are friends until the end... Susan and I, I mean that's why we had so much fun."

Kathy insisted that Gerry is "a nice guy," and Theresa is "a lovely lady," regardless of what had gone down between them in their marriage.

"You know, sh-t happens. Sorry," Kathy declared. "It does and we like them both, but yeah. You know, I'm sorry. You know someone a month or six weeks and these things happen."

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And even though Gerry and Theresa didn't work out as a couple, Susan firmly believes they had truly fallen in love.

"I think they got caught up in the moment," Susan said, referring to Gerry and Theresa's on-camera romance and navigating fame in the real world afterward as an engaged couple.

"We watched them fall in love. They bonded that first night, on that date. It was real."

Kathy agreed that Gerry and Theresa most certainly "did fall in love," before she reminded Susan, "Did I not come up to [our] room that night... and I literally said, 'He's gonna end up with Theresa.' Did I not say that, Susan?"

Susan obliged, "Yes, you did. Yes, you did."


Kathy insisted Gerry and Theresa's connection was clear as day, right from the get-go.

"It was so obvious after their, you know, their initial meeting and then their first one-on-one. You could just feel it and since, people say, 'Oh, that never happens,'" Kathy shared.

"I'm here to tell you, I met my husband when I was, who is deceased now five years, but I met him when I was 18 at a fraternity party. I looked across the room and I said, 'I'm gonna marry that guy,' and I did, and we were married almost 46 years, so, love at first sight can happen."

Also during their interview, Susan brushed off The Hollywood Reporter article that had been released right before The Golden Bachelor finale and claimed Gerry was in a long-term relationship with a woman -- after his late wife Toni's death -- before filming the show.

The article presented Gerry in a negative light, suggesting he had treated his ex, live-in girlfriend of several years poorly.

"Everybody's got a past. Give me a break," Susan noted.


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Former The Bachelor star Ben Higgins recently heard a rumor about Indiana playing a big part in Gerry and Theresa's breakup.

"There is a rumor that on Theresa's visit to Indiana, Gerry picked Theresa up at the airport. It's about two hours from where Gerry lives," Ben began on the May 5 episode of "The Ben and Ashley I: Almost Famous Podcast."

Ben continued, "So after he picks her up, they're both excited, but there had already been some issues in the relationship. There had been some grumblings and things happening... They're not seeing eye-to-eye in life."

Ben said during Gerry and Theresa's drive from the airport to his lake house, the spouses had an eye-opening conversation.

"Most of that drive is through cornfields. Most of that drive is through agriculture and untouched land, in a lot of ways," Ben noted.


Ben said the rumor is that Theresa had made a comment to Gerry that rubbed the Iowa native the wrong way.

"[Theresa said], 'Wow, look at all this beautiful untouched land. Think about what could be done if they developed it -- condos, office buildings, apartments. Think about the towns that could congregate in these open fields and think about the people that would be interested in moving here,'" Ben alleged.

"[She added], 'And look at that lake! There's a lake with only cornfields around it. Think about if they build up a resort where people could vacation to.'"

The Bachelor's Season 20 star went on to reveal, "And Gerry's comment back to her, again, a rumor, was, 'You don't take land from a farmer.' And that was the start of them realizing that they do not see the world the same way."

Last month, Theresa took a jab at haters who have criticized the couple for throwing in the towel so quickly after enjoying a lavish televised wedding that cost ABC millions of dollars in January.

"For everyone else who is confused and angry and who does not understand, please try to find it in your heart to understand and to try a little kindness," Theresa wrote on Instagram.


"Not just for me but for the world and for everyone you encounter."

Theresa called her relationship with Gerry "one of the most incredible experiences" of her life.

"[It was] something I never expected to happen at this point in my life and I truly thought it was going to last forever," she added. "It turns out, even at the age of 70, you don't know everything... Sometimes things don't go the way you planned."

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski