‘Golden Bachelor’ Star Gerry Turner Reveals New Girlfriend

The inaugural silver-haired heartthrob from ABC‘s dating competition has found romance once again, this time away from television cameras.

Gerry Turner, who entertained audiences as the first-ever Golden Bachelor, has confirmed he’s in a new relationship following his short-lived marriage to the winner of his season.

In a conversation with TMZ on Thursday, April 24, Turner disclosed that his current companion, identified as Lana, initiated contact through social media messages. While he initially overlooked her first outreach, her second attempt successfully caught his attention when she mentioned growing up in an Indiana community just 20 minutes from his hometown.

The 73-year-old retiree shared that their courtship began with a restaurant date in March and has since progressed to meeting each other’s children and her parents. Turner characterized Lana as a retired educator in her mid-50s who previously co-owned a video production enterprise and places a high priority on family connections.

This relationship development comes as Turner navigates life following both his televised divorce and a serious health challenge. In December 2024, he announced his diagnosis with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, a rare blood cancer affecting the bone marrow. Despite this diagnosis, Turner maintains an optimistic outlook, telling the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast that he’s “feeling really good” and undergoes regular blood monitoring, according to ABC News.

The former reality star first hinted at his new romance during an April 15 appearance on the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast, where he expressed caution about publicly discussing the relationship. “I think at this point it’s going well. But I don’t want to say too much and jinx it and I’m trying to respectfully get to a point where there’s an acceptable amount of time from my divorce,” Turner stated.

Turner described feeling an immediate connection with Lana, telling podcast hosts, “I hate to say it because I know I’m going to get baseballs thrown at me. It was almost the first time I saw her. It was the look that she gave me. It was like, all of a sudden, I was consumed by this look and I had this actual physical feeling.”

Their relationship appears to have sparked a renewed enthusiasm for experiences in Turner. “The person I’m dating will say, ‘Do you want to go do?’ And before she gets out the rest of the sentence I will say, ‘Yes,’” he explained on the podcast, noting that his girlfriend’s background includes extensive travel.

As a show of respect for his former spouse, Turner revealed that he informed Theresa Nist about his new relationship following advice from fellow Golden Bachelor contestants Joan Vassos and Leslie Fhima. The conversation occurred during a car ride after attending the season finale of former Bachelor Grant Ellis, Us Weekly notes.

Turner’s televised romance with Nist culminated in a January 2024 wedding broadcast on ABC, but the couple announced their separation just months later in April 2024. Despite this public divorce, Turner characterized their recent discussion about his new relationship as a “nice conversation” and indicated they remain on “good terms.”