The Golden Bachelor’s debut season has seen several contestants self-eliminate due to personal reasons — and Leslie Fhima was almost one of them.
“I called my son and he needed me,” Leslie, 64, revealed in an interview with E! News published on Thursday, October 26. Her son, however, asked her to “please stay” on the ABC dating series, insisting that she should continue on her journey with Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner. Leslie is the mother of three kids — Elijah, Chloe and Zack — as well as a grandmother to three grandkids.
Her son’s phone call came days after fellow contestant Joan Vassos — whom she described as one of her “best friends in the house” — left the series to help out her daughter who recently gave birth. If not for her son’s persistence, she would have followed suit with Joan, 60.
“With our age comes life. And just because your kids are bigger doesn’t mean they don’t have problems,” Leslie told the outlet. “So, we’re a mother first and if my son had said, ‘I need you now,’ I would have left. Because that’s who I am.”
If she had left the series early, she likely would have missed her first one-on-one date with leading man Turner, 72, later that day. The pair “had the best time” riding through the California desert on ATVs before making out in a hot tub.
“[My son] gave me the gift of staying and having an amazing date with Gerry, which I think changed our relationship, took it to a different level,” Leslie added.
While Leslie almost went home before her date, Joan announced her departure after enjoying a romantic one-on-one dinner with Gerry after episode 3’s group date. She addressed her exit via Instagram following the show’s October 12 episode, explaining that she “traded the mansion for motherhood and headed home to be with my family.”
Joan continued: “Once a mother, always a mother, I’ll always choose my kids first. Thank you for all of your outpouring [of] love and support, for not only me but also my daughter — everyone is now healthy and happy! As for me and my journey to love … guess we will have to see where it takes me next. Until then, stay golden ✨✨🌹.”
Much like Joan, contestant Marina Perera ended her Golden Bachelor journey early after receiving a rose from Gerry on night 1. In a deleted scene shared on the show’s social media pages, host Jesse Palmer informed Gerry that Marina, 60, left the Bachelor Mansion to tend to a family situation back home. “I’m a single mom and I had to choose my family and, you know, support my family’s needs at this time,” she explained to Gerry via FaceTime. “I am so sorry that I had to leave, but at the same time I had to get my priorities straight.”
Meanwhile, Nancy Hulkower’s self-elimination was not family-related but rather was about her connection with Gerry. “You’re a lot more passionate with other people. I think you’ve, in a way, narrowed it down, but maybe I’m not in that group,” she told Gerry during the group’s afternoon cocktail party in episode 4, to which he responded, “I’m really not gonna dispute that.”
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As a result of that — as well as ending up in a boot after sustaining a leg injury during the pickleball group date — Nancy decided to leave the series.
The Golden Bachelor airs Thursdays on ABC at 8 p.m. ET.
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