The Golden Bachelor’s Gerry Turner broke Leslie Fhima’s heart, but will the two get back together and give it another shot? Since his divorce from 71-year-old Theresa Nist, the 73-year-old retired restaurateur’s taken the brunt of the blame for the split, which has done serious damage to his reputation. One reason why fans were angry at Gerry was the fact that they felt he’d misled 65-year-old Leslie. Gerry met Leslie, a twice divorced fitness instructor, on night one of the Bachelor spin-off. She was one of 22 eligible older bachelorettes who had their hearts set on winning Gerry’s final rose.
Gerry didn’t hit it off with the quiet and subdued Leslie right away, as he was more attracted to some of the bolder personalities cast in The Golden Bachelor season 1, like Theresa and 60-year-old motorcycle enthusiast, Faith Martin. As the season progressed, Gerry and Leslie got closer, but, in the end, he ended up marrying Theresa. Though Gerry’s choice broke Leslie’s heart, she can take comfort in the fact that he chose poorly. The Golden marriage only lasted three months. Now that Gerry is a single man again, he and Leslie are free to give the relationship another shot.
Gerry Blindsided Leslie In The Golden Bachelor
She Was Misled
Though the beautiful Leslie caught Gerry’s eye on night one of The Golden Bachelor season 1, the Minneapolis, Minnesota native wasn’t one of the front-runners early in the competition. It wasn’t until later in the season that Gerry got close to Leslie. The mother of three revealed that she had been married and divorced twice, and had been single for the entire 22 years since her second and most recent divorce.
While Theresa and Leslie grew close during their time inside the mansion, Gerry broke Leslie’s heart, and there were plenty of intense moments between them during the show’s final moments.
Gerry seemed to lead Leslie on until the last moment, even telling her she was “the one” before going on to give Theresa his final rose. In her own interview for Bachelor Happy Hour, an angry Leslie couldn’t even think of anything about Gerry that she respects. She obviously continued to harbor negative feelings towards him, and it took her a while to get over what happened between them on the show. Gerry and Leslie should give it another shot, in a Golden spin-off show.
Gerry Damaged His Reputation Post-The Golden Bachelor
He Made So Many Mistakes
Gerry’s mistakes began long before he appeared on The Golden Bachelor season 1. Part of Gerry’s backstory, and one of the reasons he was so lovable, was that he had allegedly been a lonely widower before the show came along. Gerry was married to Toni Turner for 43 happy years before she passed away in 2017 after a brief illness. Though Gerry claimed that he had been single since her death, it was later revealed that he had been in a serious, long-term relationship with a woman. She’d even lived with him for a time.
His love life wasn’t the only thing Gerry wasn’t completely honest about, as it was also revealed that he had been a bit deceptive about his career. Though he self-identified as a retired restaurateur, he had sold his diner decades ago, and had been working as a maintenance man since then. He explained this away by saying that he wasn’t paid for his handy work, which he did on a volunteer basis, but by the time he commented on the revelation, the damage was already done.
Since Gerry and Theresa announced their split, fans have taken Theresa’s side, leaving The Golden Bachelor scrambling to redeem himself. The prolific philanthropist has been busy raising money for causes he cares about, but Gerry has focused on family and friends. Gerry recently spent time with friends and posted photos from his recent vacation on Instagram. “It has been a couple weeks since returning from Orange Beach AL with my closest and most trusted friends,” read Gerry’s caption.
“Two vacation weeks filled with golf, pickleball, beach time, biking, great southern food, and the Blue Angels. What a great time, thanks to the best friends a guy could have.”
Gerry & Leslie Are More Compatible
Theresa Was Never Right For Him
Though Theresa is a great catch, Leslie was a better fit for Gerry. Theresa works in finance and is driven. In contrast, Leslie’s laid-back, which fits into Gerry’s lifestyle better. Even their fashion sense sets them apart. Theresa dresses in a more clean-cut, conservative manner, while Leslie sports a boho-chic aesthetic. Leslie’s warm, quiet charm complements Gerry’s gregarious energy. When Gerry told Leslie that she was the one, I believed him because the two made more sense together than Gerry and Theresa did. See scenes from Gerry and Theresa’s wedding in the Pop Culture clip shown above.
Will Leslie & Gerry Get Back Together?
A Reunion Spinoff Could Be Great
With Gerry being a single man again, there has been a lot of speculation about whether Leslie would ever date Gerry again. The Golden Bachelor star was asked about it during an interview on the Playing The Field podcast, which aired on YouTube. The interview took place soon after the couple announced their divorce. Leslie had just seen the couple in person, when they all filmed Celebrity Family Feud together.
“ We were all hanging out together and had a really good time ,” Leslie said. “ We laughed and had meals together, so I guess I was shocked [by the divorce]. I didn’t see that coming .”
Leslie was asked if she would ever consider rekindling the romance with The Golden Bachelor, and she said she would not. She said that, though she didn’t hate Gerry, she didn’t ever want to feel like anyone’s second choice. It’s understandable for her to be angry about Gerry’s public rejection, but I think Leslie should consider giving Gerry another chance. That’s a Golden spin-off that everyone would watch.
