ABC (2)
Golden Bachelor’s Gerry Turner Reveals Where He and Leslie Fhima Stand After Their Emotional Split
Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner revealed where things stand between him and runner-up Leslie Fhima following their heartbreaking split on the show, saying the pair have “patched things up.”
“We were able to hug and say, ‘OK, what has happened is in the past and so forth,’” Gerry, 72, explained during an appearance on the “Almost Famous” podcast on Thursday, January 25.
His wife, final rose recipient Theresa Nist, said it was her idea to have Leslie, 65, attend the couple’s televised wedding on January 4.
“I was asked specifically, would I mind if [Leslie] went [to the wedding]. I said, ‘Of course not,’” Theresa, 70, said on the podcast. The newlywed wanted “all the women” from Gerry’s season present for the big day, admitting, “I said, ‘I want to invite her.’ We were really good friends, I love her,” about Leslie.
Leslie was completely blindsided during The Golden Bachelor finale when Gerry chose Theresa over her. The Minneapolis, Minnesota, resident later explained during After the Final Rose that Gerry told her things during their fantasy suite date that led her to believe they would be spending the rest of their lives together.
During a December 4, 2023, appearance on the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast, Leslie revealed some of what Gerry promised.
“I don’t want to say everything he said, but it was 100 percent certainty when I woke up the next morning that I was going to be it,” Leslie explained. “He made plans with me for future … kind of like, save the date, this is what we’re gonna do, I can’t wait for us; two more days and we’ll be done with this, be together, start our life.”
“Did he say ‘will you marry me’ in there? No, but he all but said that. I mean, I would’ve been happy with just ‘I love you,’ but he took it to a different level,” she continued.
“We woke up the next morning, and he laughed; he turned around three times and blew me kisses; he didn’t want to leave,” Leslie shared. “That’s why I wasn’t worried that he was going on a date. I just knew that he had to get through the motions of it. I mean, I was 100 percent sure that I was it. He didn’t say, ‘I have such a hard decision to make.’ You know, nothing like that.”
Leslie was able to move past her heartbreak and watch Gerry and Theresa tie the knot, saying she was there for her fellow contestant.
“We supported each other throughout the whole time in the house and all the way through this journey,” Leslie said of the bride during the live Golden Wedding telecast, adding, “And I am so, so happy for her and Gerry. I really am. And I am here at the end of the day to support love in any way.”
