Gerry Turner has made his most heartbreaking decision yet. On Thursday’s season finale of The Golden Bachelor, the 72-year-old retired restaurateur decided to end things with Leslie Fhima in order to pursue a relationship with Theresa Nist.
During last week’s penultimate episode, Gerry told Leslie that he thought she was the woman he couldn’t live without. However, Gerry still went on his Fantasy Suite date with Theresa, after which he said he felt as if “it’s the first day of the rest of my life.”
“I’m in love with both of them, and in each case I’ve told them ‘I love you.’ With each of them I can see a life together,” Gerry told the cameras of Leslie and Theresa. “… At this point, I know I can’t put it off any longer. As hard as it is, I think I’ve made my decision.”
Even so, Gerry decided to introduce both Leslie and Theresa to his family. That decision, host Jesse Palmer told ET, was Gerry’s way of “letting the thing play out until the very, very end.”
“I think he was very open to every conversation, every moment with these women potentially opening new doors and discovering more. I think that he was really excited to do that,” Jesse said. “Part of that is the women meeting his family, but I think a big part of that too is just the time that he spends and the chemistry that he has, and just being honest with himself.”
Leslie arrived to meet Gerry’s family after they gave their stamp of approval to Theresa, and things went well for her too, leading to even more uncertainty for the leading man.
Though Leslie was thrilled with how things went with Gerry’s daughters, Jenny and Angie, and granddaughters, Payton and Charlee, she sensed that something was off with Gerry, who she thought didn’t seem “quite himself.”
That uncertainty continued into their evening together, when Gerry told Leslie, “I know time is running out and I have to make a decision that is life-changing, and that’s kind of getting to me.”
Gerry decided to “start fresh” after getting that off his chest, though, and he and Leslie drank wine, laughed and enjoyed each other’s company. Leslie tugged at Gerry’s heartstrings when she presented him with an album full of memories from their time together.
The night ended on a sour note, when Leslie expressed her love for Gerry and he didn’t fully return the sentiment.
“Be happy,” Gerry told Leslie after hugging her through her tears. “Be happy too,” she replied.
The pair shared a lengthy hug at the door, after which Leslie asked, “Is there something you want to tell me?”
“I have a tough decision to make,” he replied. “It’s harder than I ever thought possible.”
When he left Leslie’s room, Gerry sat on the staircase and broke down in tears. Meanwhile, Leslie told the cameras, “I’m definitely not confident now. I know why he was off today. I know exactly why.”
Gerry returned to Leslie’s room to talk to her again, and decided to end things for good.
“It’s been difficult and I’ve kind of made a decision about how I want to go about this,” he said. “I have fallen in love with Theresa, and that’s the direction I’m going to take.”
She questioned if everything he told her in the Fantasy Suite was “a complete and utter lie,” which he denied, saying “At that time it was the truth.”
“Had I known this is how much pain I would’ve caused someone, I never would’ve taken the first step in this journey,” Gerry said.
Leslie said the whole thing was “typical” of her life and how “no one chooses me.”
“You made it sound like you chose me. You said things that made me feel like this was going to be it,” she cried. “You led me down a path, and then you took a turn and left me there. That’s how I feel. It’s mindboggling, to be honest.”
Gerry replied, “I’m sorry. I wish there was something I could say, but I know there isn’t.”
Leslie noted that “Theresa’s a great girl,” but said she’s “blown away” by the turn of events.
Gerry left the room for a second time, as Leslie broke down to the cameras.
“I’m tired of putting myself out there,” she said. “Time is running out.”
It’s no surprise the moment was an emotional one, as Jesse previously told ET, “I think that’s the most emotional goodbye that I’ve ever seen in the show’s history — from Bachelor, Bachelorette, Paradise. I mean, it’s really gutting. It’s heart-wrenching.”
Gerry was breaking down too, telling Jesse, “I took a really good person and f**king broke their heart. I hate myself… I think the only time I’ve only felt worse in my life is when my wife passed away and this is a godd**n close second.”
“That moment, that talk with Gerry, was about as raw a conversation as I’ve had with anyone, probably the most raw that I’ve ever seen or I’ve ever had with anyone since I’ve been hosting the show,” Jesse previously told ET. “That’s a moment I’m never going to forget. Just because I could see that it was heartbreaking for him. The way he described it, it was just so visceral. I don’t even know how to describe it. It was just really intense.”
During the live portion of the show, Leslie spoke out, telling Jesse, “The heartbreak that I experienced, the blindsided-ness that happened to me, all those emotions watching it back, I’m seeing it again… I was devastated. I was unapologetically myself through this whole thing… I haven’t fallen in love with someone in a long time, so it’s hard. It’s really hard.”
Look back at Gerry Turner‘s journey for love with ET’s coverage of The Golden Bachelor.
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