Bachelor in Paradise alum Leslie Fhima has reflected on crawling through dark days after losing Gerry Turner on his season of The Golden Bachelor.

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On The Golden Bachelor's Season 1 finale that aired in November 2023 on ABC, Leslie claimed Gerry had totally convinced her in the Fantasy Suite that she was The One and they were going to spend the rest of their lives together.

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And so when Gerry eliminated Leslie in second place, she sobbed and lashed out at Gerry for having misled, lied to, and broken her heart.

"If you would have asked me that September after the show when I got home, it was hard for me and I did have some dark days," Leslie, 66, said during the Friday, August 1 episode of "The Ben & Ashley I: Almost Famous" podcast.

Leslie admitted she had some "bad times" after her stint on The Golden Bachelor, including when she watched the season back on ABC.

"But like always, I just picked myself up and moved on, so I only want the best," Leslie noted.

On The Golden Bachelor: After the Final Rose, Leslie wanted to know why Gerry had ultimately picked Theresa Nist over her, but Gerry could only say that Theresa was "right" for him and a better fit for his life.

Leslie, who thought Gerry's response was "harsh," questioned Gerry's integrity and declined to accept his apology for hurting her.

Leslie seemed to think Gerry had mishandled multiple hearts, including that of his third-place finisher, Faith Martin.

"I really don't have a relationship with Gerry," Leslie said of the pair's current status. "If I see him, we're fine. We are very cordial. I really only want the best for him."

Gerry had gotten engaged to Theresa on The Golden Bachelor finale, and then they got married in January 2024.

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But a few months later, Gerry announced his decision to file for divorce from Theresa, and the pair's divorce was finalized in June 2024.

The last time Leslie connected with Gerry was earlier this year at the finale of Grant Ellis' The Bachelor season in March.

Gerry revealed at the time that he's in a new relationship with a woman named Lana, and Leslie insisted she's "happy" for her ex.

"I just want everyone to be happy, really," she reiterated.

"In our age, it's like tick tock [goes the clock]. We all want to find our person and get on with our life. So I'm happy for him."

When looking back on how her romance with Gerry ended, Leslie said she truly feels "everything happens for a reason."

So when asked if she wishes things had played out differently, Leslie said it's "hard" to answer that.

"I don't know," Leslie noted.

"Theresa and I are alike... but we're very different, too. So I don't know if one person is a better fit for somebody else, versus whatever."

Leslie added, "I think things happen the way that they are supposed to. Now that I am very far removed from it, I feel that it was best that I was not the last girl standing."

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But feelings, both positive and negative, may come rushing back if Leslie chooses to read Gerry's memoir being released this November.

Gerry's memoir is titled Golden Years: What I've Learned from Love, Loss, and Reality TV.

"Am I going to read it? I don't know," Leslie confessed. "I have to see, I'm not sure. I'm interested in seeing what he says so I probably will."

But Leslie anticipates her name will be mentioned in the book since she was "a big part" of his journey on The Golden Bachelor.

"I think that I don't feel like I did anything where he is going to say something derogatory about me," Leslie reasoned.

"So I'm okay, I think, with it. We had a great time, we laughed a lot. He broke my heart, but everything is okay... I'm okay."

Once Leslie healed from her split with Gerry, she filmed Season 10 of Bachelor in Paradise, which currently airs on Monday nights at 8PM ET/PT on ABC.

Leslie pursued a connection with The Golden Bachelorette alum Gary Levingston. 

Leslie and Gary hit it off; however, they were sent home during the August 4 episode of Bachelor in Paradise after host Jesse Palmer introduced a new twist involving a potential $500,000 cash prize.

Gary said in his final words that he planned to "continue to move forward" with Leslie in the real world -- "just in a different way."

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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