Theresa Nist Thought Gerry Turner Marriage Would 'Last Forever' but Admits 'You Don't Know Everything' at 70

Theresa Nist doesn’t regret her Golden Bachelor journey, even though it ended in divorce.

Three days after she and Gerry Turner announced on Good Morning America that they’d be splitting up following three months of marriage, Nist, 70, posted Dr. Seuss’s quote, “Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened,” with a lengthy caption addressing the situation.

“To everyone who has expressed love, support and kindness to me I thank you from the bottom of my heart,” Nist began her social media post on Monday, April 15. “You are all such wonderful human beings. 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.”

The financial services professional then addressed the naysayers. “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,” Nist urged. “Not just for me but for the world and for everyone you encounter.”

Nist referred to time on the inaugural season of The Golden Bachelor as “one of the most incredible experiences of my life” and “something I never expected to happen at this point in my life.” Her run on the show ended with Turner, 72, proposing and the two tying the knot in a live, televised wedding special on Jan. 4.

“I truly thought it was going to last forever,” Nist wrote. “It turns out, even at the age of 70, you don’t know everything. Sometimes things don’t go the way you planned and that’s okay.”

Still, the New Jersey native wrote that she took “so many positives away” from The Golden Bachelor and her marriage to Turner, most notably her friendships with his two daughters and two granddaughters, as well as the show’s producers and crew.

“I ask you to please stay open to all the experiences, opportunities, and love that may come your way,” Nist concluded. “Keep smiling, keep laughing… I will. I love you all.”

Nist was spotted wearing her wedding ring when leaving work on Friday, April 12, hours after her GMA interview with Turner aired. The mother of two said in the interview that she plans to return the ring, plus the Badgley Mischka wedding dress she wore to say “I do” to Turner on Jan 4.

The couple cited an inability to determine where they wanted to live as the reason for their split. Turner lives in Indiana while Nist resides in New Jersey.

“The thing that strikes me the most in our conversations, it's been how dedicated both of us are to our families,” Turner said on Good Morning America. “So we look at these conversation and we both think it's best for the happiness of each of us to live apart."

Following the Nov. 30 finale of The Golden Bachelor, Turner and Nist said they planned to move to Charleston, S.C. “For the last couple of years, when my family gets together, I've talked about moving to South Carolina, and it's an idea I've toyed with,” Turner told PEOPLE at the time. “And then in conversation with Theresa, a private moment, she's saying, ‘Well, yeah, my son lives near Charleston in South Carolina.’”

By the time their wedding rolled around, Turner began to consider relocating to New Jersey. “I like that area, and Theresa's home is 15 minutes from the ocean, and that is so attractive to me,” he said. “So we have more than one option to explore. We'll find the spot that we're both happy with.”

While Nist told GMA they looked at houses in both areas, she admitted, “We never got to the point where we made that decision.”

Turner filed to dissolve their marriage in Petersburg, Ind., on Friday, April 12, the same day he listed as their date of separation. He cited “irretrievable breakdown” as the reason for the divorce.

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The Golden Bachelor is streaming now on Hulu.