MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA: In an exclusive interview with The US Sun, one of Leslie Fhima's family members criticized 'The Golden Bachelor' Gerry Turner. During the live Golden Bachelor finale on November 30, fans at home watched as Gerry sent Leslie home and proposed to his now-fiancee, Theresa Nist.
During an emotional meeting in her hotel room in Costa Rica, the retired restaurateur eliminated the personal trainer. Her despair turned to rage as she wondered whether everything he had told her the night before, even that he loved her, had been a lie.
Gerry stated that it "wasn't a lie" and that it was the truth at the time.
Leslie's family member, whose identity has been withheld for privacy reasons, has now spoken exclusively to The US Sun.
"Yeah, I have an opinion [on Gerry]... you don't say those kind of things to a 64-year-old grandmother unless you mean them! "I was disappointed about that. Obviously, he did [lie]."
The relative added, "He said you're the one. He told her that she was the one, and he wishes this could be over with."
Gerry Turner opens up about Leslie Fhima rejecting 'The Golden Bachelor's apology
Gerry's runner-up said she understood his apologies, but wasn't sure she could accept them. Gerry knows his ex's predicament.
Denny Directo of ET talked with 'The Golden Bachelor's' leading man the day after the show's first-ever season finale aired, and Gerry shared his reaction to Leslie's refusal to accept his apologies.
Looking back on that encounter, Gerry told ET that he "fully understand" why Leslie didn't forgive him right away.
"I mean, she was hurt. I was hurt," Gerry said. "I had no expectations of what I wanted from Leslie, except that I wanted her to feel better at the end of the conversation than at the beginning."
"I mean, there's a need for closure. There's a need for clarity within that conversation," he continued. "I fully understand where she's at."
Gerry Turner calls himself 'villain' after 'The Golden Bachelor' finale
Gerry can accept responsibility for hurting Leslie on his road to discovering love with Theresa. "I felt like a villain at times," the Golden Bachelor star said to Good Morning America in a joint interview with Theresa on December 1.
When Juju Chang, the show's host, mentioned to Gerry that he's "required to be a heartbreaker," the reality star agreed. "Yes, it is an artificial environment. I didn’t realize how impactful it would be," he remarked.
The journalist questioned Gerry about charges that he offered Leslie "false hope" that he would choose her.
"I really have no response to that other than, at that moment, that's sort of how I felt," Gerry went on to say.
Gerry informed Leslie she was "The One" during the season's final dates, which she pointed out when they reconnected on After the Final Rose on November 30.
Where is Leslie Fhima now after 'The Golden Bachelor'?
Leslie gained from the show the capacity to recognize that love is once again possible. In fact, she'll be back on the scene of the dumping crime in January.
Leslie is organizing a yoga retreat at the Tamarindo Diria resort in Costa Rica this time. It sounds just like something from 'The Bachelor,' but with fewer hijinks.
You can go if you have $2750 to spare!
Aside from the usual Golden Bachelor postings, Leslie's Instagram is largely filled with family activities and exciting throwback photographs from her time as a professional dancer/aerobics instructor.
