Runner-Up Leslie Fhima Speaks Out Against Gerry Turner's Surprising Move on 'The Golden Bachelor'
During the dramatic 'Golden Bachelor' season 1 finale, Gerry Turner blindsided his ex Leslie Fhima, which led to a tense confrontation during the 'After the Final Rose' segment
Gerry Turner, Leslie Fhima. Disney/John Fleenor
At the After the Final Rose segment of the Golden Bachelor season 1 finale, Gerry Turner and his ex Leslie Fhima, came together for the first time since their difficult breakup to discuss their relationship. Gerry, 72, and Leslie, 64, had a heartfelt conversation about their past.
After a long embrace, Leslie assured Gerry that she was "much better" than when he ended their relationship. However, she also took the opportunity to address him directly.
"I want you to know, Gerry, that I fell in love with you for countless reasons. The way you looked at me, the sparkle in your eyes, the way your nose would twitch when we talked, and how we always made each other laugh. You understood my sense of humor, and I felt completely myself with you," she expressed. "But above all, it was your integrity that captured my heart. Your words held great meaning for me because of that. I cherished them and carried them in my heart. Everyone heard what you said on camera, but only you and I know it was during our private time together. I would never share that with anyone. Those words gave me complete certainty that I was the one for you. So, when things changed, I was blindsided. I wasn't sure what happened or how it changed."
Gerry made the difficult decision to send Leslie home after realizing that he had stronger feelings for Theresa Nist. "I've put in a lot of effort to get to know both you and Theresa as much as possible. You're both amazing, but only one of you is the right fit," Gerry explained.
Leslie reacted emotionally, accusing Gerry of misleading and lying to her. "You made it seem like you chose me," she accused, feeling let down.
During AFR, Gerry offered a sincere apology to Leslie. "I'm truly sorry, Leslie. When I came on the show, I was prepared to follow the process and eliminate contestants," he explained. "But I realized that my heart wasn't ready. It became increasingly difficult with each rose ceremony, especially with you."
Gerry expressed that he didn't intend to cause harm but became entangled in the situation. "You were the one I thought was right for me until I realized you weren't," he explained. "You wondered where things went wrong. They didn't, Leslie. It's just that things were better with someone else. That person was the right fit in a different direction."
Leslie acknowledged that she was unsure about accepting his apology, but she did "understand" it.
Before the finale, host Jesse Palmer hinted at Gerry and Leslie's reunion, stating, "I think this will be the most emotional AFR that the franchise has ever seen," when exclusively speaking to We earlier this month. "I really believe it."
Palmer also discussed his conversation with Gerry after he broke up with Leslie, during which Gerry admitted he had not been that upset since his wife, Toni, died.
Palmer explained that it was a moment when Gerry really needed someone to talk to and needed to vent and express his feelings. “In those situations, the best advice I can give is to reassure him that it will all be worth it and that there’s an amazing woman waiting for him on the other side of all this. It was as intense, real, and raw as it gets. It was probably the most raw moment I’ve experienced since hosting the franchise.”
Disney/John Fleenor
During the last weeks of Gerry's journey, he expressed his love to Leslie and Theresa, making the breakup with Leslie even harder. According to Palmer, Gerry fell in love with both women in different ways at the same time. The goodbyes were the most challenging part of the season, and viewers can expect an emotional goodbye in the finale that is more intense than anything they've seen before.
Gerry, on the other hand, entered the process doubting that he could develop feelings for multiple women. “I thought, ‘No, that’s absolutely not possible. That’s silly.’ How wrong I was,” he told Us in September. “Because through the course of the journey, I really felt strong feelings for several of the women.”
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After the fact, though, Gerry did not believe he was fully “in love” with more than one contestant.
Upon reflection, I came to understand that in that moment, whenever it may have been, the circumstances made it easy to express love to someone," he admitted. "But looking back, I realized that there is only one person who truly meets the standard in every situation."
