Leslie Fhima has been on a roll since Gerry Turner broke her heart during the season finale of The Golden Bachelor, and she just made another major career announcement. Leslie made her television debut when she stepped out of the limousine outside TheBachelor mansion on night one of the spin-off series and warmly greeted Gerry. The retired restaurateur told Leslie she was "the one," but when it came time to give away his final rose, he offered it to Theresa Nist instead.
A heartbroken Leslie threw herself into caring for her family and growing her career. The Golden Bachelor season 1 star is a fitness instructor, choreographer, and a dancing queen. Not only has dancing paid her bills, but it has also kept her body in shape, which women half her age would dream of. Dancing has also kept her sane, especially during the unique challenges presented by going through a public break-up as the runner-up on The Golden Bachelor season 1. Focusing on her career has paid off, and she recently made a major career announcement.
Leslie Was Hired By The Olympics
Dream Job
In June, Leslie posted to Instagram about an incredible professional opportunity that she earned recently. This year's Olympic gymnastics trials are taking place in Leslie's hometown of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and Leslie was hired by the official Olympics committee to choreograph the opening dance. The post, which has 3.3K likes so far, features video clips of Leslie teaching a dance routine to 1000 young athletes. In the post's caption, Leslie raves about the young gymnasts she worked with, writing, "The energy was off the charts and these young athletes delivered!"
The Olympics are a beloved institution, and Leslie should be proud of herself for her impressive professional success.
This isn't the first career announcement The Golden Bachelor star has made recently. Some have speculated that Leslie is trying too hard to prove that she's over Gerry by posting any bit of good news that she can muster, but this appears to be an overstatement. Though Leslie is still stinging slightly from being dumped on national television by the man she thought she loved, she is also authentically enjoying her career successes.
Leslie & Gerry Relationship
A Slow Burn
To say Leslie was shocked by Gerry's decision during The Golden Bachelor finale would be the understatement of the year. Though they hadn't started with an instant spark the way Gerry had with several other women, Leslie and Gerry grew closer as the season progressed. They enjoyed the kind of slow-burn relationship that may not be as exciting as love at first sight but is often praised by many as a more sensible foundation for a healthy relationship. Sadly, Gerry gave his final rose to Theresa, with whom he'd had an instant connection.
Gerry and Theresa announced their divorce less than four months after their nationally televised dream wedding, so Gerry may have been better off going with the slow burn.
Leslie was very angry at Gerry in the immediate aftermath of The Golden Bachelor season 1 and even publicly said she couldn't think of a single nice thing to say about her ex. Thankfully, time has dulled Leslie's negative feelings towards Gerry, and she even spent time with him and Theresa right before they announced their divorce. Since the public rejection, Leslie has healed by leaning on her family and focusing on dancing the pain away.
Is Leslie Dating Anyone New?
She Doesn't Need A Man
While Gerry was a widower who buried his beloved wife, Toni Turner, in 2017, Leslie is a two-time divorcee. During a solo date, Leslie revealed to Gerry that she had been single since her second divorce, which was 22 years ago. Since Leslie had been single for so long before appearing on The Golden Bachelor, it is probably a good bet to assume that Leslie hasn't been seeing anyone new since dating Gerry. She really seems to be more focused on work and her family, like celebrating her son's recent wedding or announcing a new dance class.
The Golden Bachelor was a surprising success with the audience who were clearly interested in the idea of older singles finding love again.
It became clear that a female-led version of the show would follow. Though Leslie was an early fan favorite to be cast as the lead of The Golden Bachelorette, the job was given to 61-year-old The Golden Bachelor contestant Joan Vassos. There has been some hopeful speculation that The Golden Bachelor In Paradise would be the next Bachelor Nation spin-off, in which case, Leslie could take another shot at finding love.
For his part, soon after his divorce from Theresa, Gerry was spotted at a dating event, though it's unclear if he was a participant or an event host. Recently, Gerry bragged about his love life, claiming that he was being inundated with women sliding into his DMs and even in real life. Though he says that he isn't ready to start dating again, The Golden Bachelor star has plenty of options when he's ready. There was some speculation about whether Leslie would give Gerry another shot, but she made it clear that she wasn't willing to be anyone's second choice.
