'Golden Bachelor' Gerry Turner’s Daughter Defends Quick Split with Theresa

Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist's quick split after a fairytale TV ending pissed off a lot of fans in 'Bachelor' nation -- but one of GT's kids is telling everyone to cool it with the hate.

Angie Turner -- Gerry's daughter -- hopped online this week to address all the backlash her dad has been getting as the first 'Golden Bachelor' ... namely, for marrying Theresa after seriously courting her on the show -- only for them to pull the plug 3 months later.

She writes ... "It’s no surprise the news of my Dad and Theresa choosing to split has sparked a range of emotions and opinions. I love how invested people were in the show, what an experience to have you along for the ride!"

Angie says there's been a lot of hate though, adding ... "What has been disheartening is the level of rage and cruelty that our family has been met with."

She defends her dad and Theresa as good people, who deserve to be treated as such.

She continues ... "I kindly urge everyone to remember that behind every story, there are real people with real feelings. To all those that have chosen to show my dad, Theresa and our family love and compassion…Thank you from the bottom of my heart."

Angie gave a special shout-out to podcast personality Andy Levine, who she said really understood what her dad was going through. Andy made a point on a recent podcast of his that Gerry and Theresa could've milked this, but were true to themselves and ended things as soon as they knew it was going to work.

Gerry and Theresa made their split official on April 12, announcing their breakup decision on "Good Morning America."