‘The Golden Bachelor’: Gerry and Theresa Reveal Where They’ll Live After Their Televised Wedding (Exclusive)

Gerry Turner is ready to start his life with Theresa Nist! ET’s Denny Directo spoke with the happy couple one day after their engagement played out on The Golden Bachelor, and they gushed about taking the next steps in their relationship.

“It feels amazing,” Theresa told ET of finally being out in the open about their love. Gerry agreed, adding that it’s nice “no longer having to keep a secret,” because “you’re not all bottled up all the time.”

The journey to their happily ever after was anything but easy, as Gerry struggled to choose between two women he loved. Ultimately, he broke things off with Leslie Fhima, a decision he made after his Fantasy Suite dates.

“There was a clearly defined moment when it happened,” Gerry said of making his difficult decision. “We were in the Fantasy Suite, behind closed doors, no witnesses to what we were talking about. It built from the dinner we had had before the Fantasy Suite. The conversation became more revealing and more revealing. I had some question marks and before I even asked them she addressed every single one of them. The excitement just built.”

Theresa agreed that that day was transformative for her and Gerry’s relationship, explaining, “I think I had struggled the entire season with being myself and being in front of the camera.”

“I was censoring myself a lot because there’s so many men in my life — six grandsons, a brother, a son, a son-in-law — so I was just thinking, ‘Oh, I can’t say certain things.’ I kind of just held back,” she said. “It wasn’t until that date before the cameras were gone that I said, ‘Theresa, just be yourself. Just stop doing this.’ And then I really jumped at the chance to go in the Fantasy Suite and continue that conversation.”

Now, the couple is set to tie the knot in a televised wedding, which will air live on ABC Jan. 4. The whole thing is “insane,” Theresa noted, adding that she’s “over the moon” about what’s to come.

“When you get to this age, every moment is precious and you don’t want to waste them,” Gerry said. “Now we’ve got a date out there that we can look forward to, rather than every day that we had to keep it secret. It’s a total different mindset.”

While Gerry started his Golden Bachelor experience “open to the idea” of marriage, it’s turned out even better than he could’ve hoped.

“When I started the journey in the show, my goal was to be in this position. I’m glad I’m here. It worked. It was a success,” he said. “[I’m] with the right person, not just a person.”

“I was open to the experience and the opportunity to be married again, but who would’ve thought?” Theresa agreed. “This is amazing. This is incredible.”

As for where they’ll live after they exchange vows, New Jersey-based Theresa revealed that she and her Indiana-based fiancé actually discussed that on their very first date.

“On the first date, he spoke to me about possibly moving to the Charleston area. I said, ‘Well, wow.’ I have a son who lives in South Carolina. I said, ‘That would work,'” Theresa told ET. “It wasn’t until the Fantasy Suite that the conversation came back to that and we realized South Carolina is probably where we’re going.”

Look back at Gerry Turner‘s journey for love with ET’s coverage of The Golden Bachelor.