Gerry Turner Was the Villain of ‘The Golden Bachelor’ Long Before He Announced His Divorce

A few weeks ago, Susan Noles took to the radio to defend Gerry Turner, the lead of season 1 of The Golden Bachelor . Noles was a contestant on Turner’s season. While she didn’t win his love, she apparently felt the need to defend him against people who have painted him as a villain since his separation from season winner Theresa Nist. While Noles seems to have plenty of insider knowledge about the end of Nist and Turner’s short-lived union , the divorce isn’t what turned Turner into a villain in the eyes of the public.

Susan Noles defends Gerry Turner, insisting he isn’t a villain

In late May, Susan Noles appeared on The Jess Cagle Show with Julia Cunningham . During her conversation, she defended Turner, insisting he was getting a bad edit. She claims the septuagenarian had every right to be frustrated with his new bride. She cited Nist’s refusal to retire and travel with Turner as the reason for the divorce.

Susan Noles seems interested in defending Gerry Turner against naysayers. Still, she appears to be the only The Golden Bachelor alum interested in doing so publicly. So, why aren’t more contestants jumping to his defense? It might be because he was considered a villain long before announcing his divorce after three months of marriage.

Gerry Turner’s image was tarnished before the divorce announcement

The women of Gerry Turner’s season might not be jumping to defend him because he was a villain to the public long before he and Theresa Nist announced their divorce. Turner’s slide from charming to mildly creepy started before ABC aired the finale of The Golden Bachelor . A scathing article revealed Turner had lied about his dating history , setting the ball in motion.

Turner sold the world the story of a man so torn up over the death of his wife that he hadn’t thought about another woman in years. That could not have been further from the truth. He began dating weeks after her death. He treated his live-in girlfriend horribly, according to The Hollywood Reporter . Fans almost immediately saw him as a liar.

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The finale of the dating competition did little to fix his image. While fans of the series largely liked Theresa Nist, Turner choosing the New Jersey native made him an even bigger villain in the eyes of fans. Despite their feelings about Nist, viewers largely despised how Turner handled himself in the series’ final moments. Most fans agree Turner was more deceptive about his feelings where Leslie Fhima was concerned than was really necessary. Her heartbreak cemented Turner as a villain in the eyes of many The Golden Bachelor fans.