The inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor finally came to a close on November 30, and it looks like Gerry Turner found his perfect match in the one and only Theresa Nist, a 70-year-old financial services professional from Shrewsbury, New Jersey.
Losing his wife and high school sweetheart to illness after being married for 43 years, Gerry embarked on his second chance (or maybe his third chance?) at finding love as the lead of the first-ever season of The Golden Bachelor, coining the phrase, “It’s never too late to fall in love again” — how sweet is that?
After letting go of dozens of women, the 72-year-old restaurant owner from Hudson, Indiana got down on one knee at the end of the highly-anticipated finale, proposing to Theresa and offering her a rose once and for all, but fans of The Bachelor franchise were left with just one burning question — how has their life changed since that moment, given that this engagement was filmed back in August?
With plans to move to Charleston, South Carolina together, as well as get married to one another in January (which will air live on our television screens), life has been a rollercoaster for both Gerry and Theresa, and fortunately, their respective families have been along for the ride.
Given that they have children and grandchildren of their own, the soon-to-be newlyweds dished about what their respective families think about their relationship in an exclusive interview with PEOPLE. Keep scrolling to see for yourself…
As viewers saw during the highly-anticipated finale of The Golden Bachelor, Gerry’s family ran up to the couple to celebrate their engagement, just moments after their father (or grandfather) popped the question.
Although Gerry’s family meeting Leslie Fhima, the runner-up of the competition, seemed to be smooth sailing earlier in the episode, the Golden Bachelor himself admitted that his loved ones were secretly hoping to see Theresa on the day of the proposal.
“Because of the way the sun was and the walk that Theresa had to do, she was a silhouette for an awfully long time, and my daughters tell me, ‘Please let it be Theresa. Please let it be Theresa,’” Gerry gushed. “When the light hit enough so that they could see that it was her, they were ecstatic. They were in tears. They were thrilled,” ultimately solidifying his decision even more.
“I’m very happy that that’s their reaction, because I do rely on them a lot to reinforce decisions that I’ve tentatively made,” he concluded with a grin.
As for Theresa’s family, she admitted that “they were just so excited about him,” prior to diving into the details.
“Oh my gosh. When I came home (and my daughter’s really the only one who really knows what happened) when I pulled up in their driveway, it was like a welcoming committee. Like, screaming and screaming and so happy. My daughter loves Gerry, as does everybody.”
In case you missed Gerry and Theresa’s engagement, you can stream the tear-jerking finale of the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor on Hulu — it is truly a must-see!