The Golden BachelorIt is Leslie Fhima weighs on the ex Gerry TurnerIt is an eye-opening book.
“I haven’t read it. I’ve read parts of it,” Leslie, 66, said on the Thursday, Nov. 6, episode of the “2 Black Girls, 1 Rose” podcast. “I feel like I don’t know if I want to read it. I mean, I read the chapter about me.”
Leslie shared that Gerry, 74, sent her the chapter of his book, Golden Years: What I Learned From Love, Loss, and Reality TV“a long time ago” and wanted to get his approval. From Leslie’s point of view, the gesture was “very respectful.”
“To be honest, he doesn’t have anything bad to say about me. Other than the fact that he broke my heart, I made peace with him. I made peace with him when he was with him. Therese [Nist]” she said, referring to Gerry’s ex-wife. “I was happy for her.”
In Gerry’s book, the former Golden Bachelor admitted he had “several regrets” from his time as leader – including judging runner-up Leslie on her past marriages and financial situation.
“I still have heartbreaking pain when I think of how I hurt her,” he wrote.
Moments after ending his relationship with Leslie during the 2023 season, Gerry then popped the question to Theresa, now 72. Despite this landmark moment, Gerry wrote that he felt “empty” as he “stood on the platform set up for the proposal.”
“I had already made up my mind that I was going to propose to Theresa, so this feeling was not my resolution. Rather, there was no happiness in the moment,” Gerry wrote, noting that he thought his “gloomy mood” was due to “lack of sleep” and empathy for Leslie. He then admitted he didn’t know if Theresa “won by default.”
While detailing his relationship with Theresa, Gerry claimed he felt “trapped” ahead of their TV wedding in 2024 and made further claims about their romance falling apart.
Leslie, for her part, said Thursday that she supported Theresa following the book — but also wanted to remain neutral on the situation.
“I told Theresa this, I will support my friend – I adore her, I love her – but it’s not my fight. I don’t know if it seems… I don’t want to be cold about it. I’m not saying they fight. It’s just not my thing,” Leslie said. “But I will support her, I will listen to her and I will give her advice. But I kind of want to be a little Switzerland because that’s just not my fight.”
Leslie explained that she offered Theresa her shoulder to cry on, but said her friend “really didn’t do it” but “got upset a few times.”
Theresa, meanwhile, shared her side of the story during a Tuesday, November 4, appearance on the “Dear Shandy” podcast and admitted that she would have been “relieved” if Gerry had told her about his pre-wedding hesitations. (Theresa and Gerry announced their plans to divorce months after their 2024 nuptials.)
“I have to say, I always said I like to live my life without regrets, but boy, I made some mistakes here,” Theresa said. “I regret getting married so quickly. It shouldn’t have happened.”
