The Golden Bachelor alum April Kirkwood is weighing in Gerry Turner’s divorce with a pointed message to his estranged wife, Theresa Nist.
“I wish you the very best,” April, 66, wrote in an Instagram comment to Theresa, 70, on Monday, April 15. “I truly tried to tell you, but this was your lesson to experience. Much love!”
The comment came on the heels of Theresa breaking her silence days after she and Gerry, 72, announced their plans to divorce on Friday, April 12, after three months of marriage.
“To everyone who has expressed love, support and kindness to me I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are all such wonderful human beings,” Theresa captioned her post on Monday. “It means the world to me that you took the time to reach out to me, whether in person, on the phone, by text or by direct message. You are all so kind to do so.”
After Bachelor Nation fans saw April’s comment, she received a few replies. “Nows not the time April, yikes,” comedian Dave Neal replied. While April didn’t respond to him, she did hit back at another commenter who questioned her words.
“I care for all women in the world. I want us all to learn from each other and be smart and empowered,” April responded. “Lessons offer us the opportunity. We’ve all had our hearts broken … what we do with it is entirely up to us! Let’s rock this world Ladies. Therese [sic] can lead the way!”
By Tuesday, April 16, she backtracked on the previous comments and offered an apology.
“I would like to publicly apologize for my error in judgment. I sincerely meant no ill will,” April wrote. “I wish all women only peace and power to be their best selves. This was not the one for me. Much love and gratitude for understanding.”
While April’s comments elicited some backlash, The Golden Bachelor runner-up Leslie Fhima offered up some sweet words.
“I love you my friend. I’m so happy to call you that,” she commented. “You’re beautiful inside and out.”
Leslie, 65, and Theresa were Gerry’s final two during The Golden Bachelor finale, which aired in November 2023. After a tense conversation, Gerry sent Leslie home and proposed to Theresa. (Leslie later told Gerry on After the Final Rose that she was “blindsided” by the break up.)
It seemed like Gerry and Theresa had their happy ending, especially after they tied the knot in a live televised wedding special on January 4. More than three months later, the pair announced their divorce in a joint interview which aired via Good Morning America on Friday. (Us Weekly broke the news that Gerry officially filed for divorce that same day.)
“Theresa and I have had a number of heart-to-heart conversations,” Gerry said during the GMA interview. “We’ve looked closely at our living situations and we’ve kind of come to the conclusion mutually that it’s time for us to dissolve our marriage.”
The former couple explained that they couldn’t agree on a location to buy a home and had been living apart since their marriage. (Gerry in Indiana and Theresa in New Jersey.)
“I think maybe it’s part of the fact that we are older and we do have homes and we do have children and we do have grandchildren – and I’m not saying it’s impossible [that] the love can’t overcome that, but it did play a major role,” Theresa further explained on Nightline about the split, noting they didn’t see the point of a “commuter marriage.”
