Leslie Fhima Was 'A Little Uncomfortable' at 'The Golden Wedding'
Leslie Fhima was happy to support Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist at The Golden Wedding, but one part of the ceremony brought up a few bad memories. “It was a little uncomfortable during the ceremony when they were talking about Costa Rica, because I was there too,” Leslie, 65, revealed on the Saturday, January 6, […]
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Leslie Fhima was happy to support Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist at The Golden Wedding, but one part of the ceremony brought up a few bad memories.
“It was a little uncomfortable during the ceremony when they were talking about Costa Rica, because I was there too,” Leslie, 65, revealed on the Saturday, January 6, episode of the “Almost Famous” podcast, which was released two days after ABC’s The Golden Wedding special. Making it to Gerry’s final two women on The Golden Bachelor, Leslie was ultimately sent home during the November 2023 finale after meeting Gerry’s family in Costa Rica.
Luckily, Leslie said the pair’s discussion of the show’s Costa Rica finale during their nuptials went in one ear and out the other. “It was probably the only time it was really uncomfortable for me,” she explained. “And seeing Theresa so happy really, kind of, just took that away anyhow.”
During the nuptials, officiant and costar Susan Noles referenced the overnight dates, noting how Gerry and Theresa deepened their relationship in Costa Rica. Gerry also recalled drinking “Costa Rican coffee” with Theresa during his vows.
Leslie’s Golden Bachelor elimination shocked both viewers and Leslie herself. During the show’s After the Final Rose special, she called out Gerry, 72, for blindsiding her with his decision. “You made it sound like you chose me,” she stated during their onscreen reunion. “You led me down a path and then you took a turn and left me there.”
She later claimed during a December 2023 episode of the “Bachelor Happy Hour” podcast that Gerry made promises to her about their future during their Costa Rica fantasy suite date. “He said kind of, like, ‘Save the date, this is what we’re going to do. I can’t wait for us. [In] two more days, we’ll be done with this [and] be together, start our life,’” she shared. Gerry ultimately ended the season engaged to Theresa.
Leslie left many Bachelor Nation fans scratching their heads upon revealing she would attend the couple’s televised nuptials. “Theresa invited me,” she clarified on Saturday’s podcast. “ I had to process my heartbreak, and it took a while. But after that, I realized that, ‘You know what? They’re probably perfect for each other and I’m so happy that she found love,’ because that’s what we came for.”
The Golden Wedding also served as a chance for Leslie to reunite with her fellow Golden Bachelor contestants. (There were more than 50 members of Bachelor Nation at the ceremony.)
“It’s been amazing. … I really missed them. I mean, we communicate all the time, on a daily basis, but it’s not the same as actually being around them,” she told cohosts Ben Higgins and Ashley Iaconetti. “And I always say, like, when I was doing the show, I missed my friends at home immensely, and my family, of course, but these women, we have a bond that no one else could understand.”
Costa Rica mention aside, Leslie was all smiles at the star-studded ceremony, especially when hit the dance floor with Higgins, 34, at the reception. According to Higgins, that moment wasn’t as spontaneous as it may have appeared on screen.
“[When] the reception started, they asked us to start the dance party,” he revealed on the podcast. “That was something they wanted us to do, and we both agreed to do it. And so, we get out there and they’re like, ‘OK, get people on the dance floor.’ We’re like, ‘Great.’ We start doing it [and] there’s no music.”
Leslie, for her part, joked, “I came out there on the dance floor and he goes, ‘Thank you.’ And I’m like, ‘Is this a warm-up? Is he practicing his moves, or are we doing this now?’”
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