ABC Leslie Fhima was "shocked" when Gerry Turner sent Faith Martin home.
Leslie Fhima wasn’t the woman who won Gerry Turner‘s heart on the finale of “The Golden Bachelor.” However, she admits that she was surprised that Turner took Theresa Nist to the finale.
On the December 5, 2023, episode of “The Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast, co-host Joe Amabile asked Fhima if she watched the episode when Turner broke up with Faith Martin.
“I did. … My heart broke for her. And I remember that night, we were just sitting separately. Not speaking, waiting. And I wanted to talk to her so bad, but we couldn’t really talk to each other,” Fhima said on the podcast, referring to Turner sending Faith Martin home.
“But I really, really thought it was going to be me and Faith at the end. I did. So, I was shocked. And I wish I could have [held] her and cried with her a little bit. It’s just so hard because she’s gone, you know? But, my heart broke for her,” Fhima added.
Ultimately, Turner proposed to Nist on the finale and the two are set to tie the knot on January 4, 2024. Their wedding will air on ABC.
Here’s what you need to know:
Faith Martin Didn’t Understand How Gerry Turner Could Send Her Home
Turner made a bit of a mistake by telling his final three women that he had very strong feelings for them, even dropping the words “I love you” ahead of the finale.
Feelings were so strong, in fact, that Martin was really surprised that Turner sent her home.
“What hurt me the most was the disconnect when I was being sent home. When I looked at him that day, I didn’t see the Gerry that I knew and loved, I saw this stone cold stranger. That’s what hurt me so much,” Martin told Bachelor Nation.
“I thought I wanted answers, but when I had a chance to reconnect with him at ‘Women Tell All,’ it felt so much like we just needed to reconnect and say goodbye and I wish you well. It felt really good and I now realize that there were some ways that Gerry and I wouldn’t have aligned long term. I think he made the best choice for himself. I’m truly so happy for Gerry and Theresa,” she added.
Leslie Fhima Was Convinced That Gerry Turner Was Going to Choose Her
After Martin was sent home, Fhima truly believed that Turner was going to pick her in the end.
On the December 4, 2023, episode of the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast, Fhima explained that Turner told her things when the cameras weren’t rolling that made her confident in their future.
“I don’t want to say everything he said, but it was 100 percent certainty that I woke up the next morning that I was going to be it. He made plans with me [for] the future. Kind of like, ‘Save the date, this is what we’re going to do. I can’t wait for us. Two more days and we’ll be done with this. We’ll be together, start our life.’ Did he say, ‘Will you marry me?’ No? But he all but said that,” she said.
“I would’ve been happy with just ‘I love you,’ but he took it to a different level. When we woke up the next morning and he left, he turned around three times and blew me kisses. He didn’t want to leave. That’s why I wasn’t worried that he was going date. I just knew he had to get through the emotions of it. I was 100 percent sure that I was it. He didn’t say, ‘I have such a hard decision to make.’ Nothing like that,” she added.
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