Leslie Fhima From 'The Golden Bachelor' Updates Fans on Her Health After Birthday ER Trip

On ABC's The Golden Bachelor, many of Gerry Turner's romantic hopefuls stood out against the 22 women hoping to win the inaugural, seasoned bachelor's heart. One of the women was Leslie Fhima, who was Gerry's second pick during the competition. Unfortunately, Gerry eventually proposed to Theresa Nist, and the pair tied the knot at the show's live Golden Wedding special.

While Leslie took Gerry's decision to marry Theresa hard, she received more pressing news when the camera stopped rolling. In January 2024, the Minneapolis-based trainer opened up about a health scare that forced her to prioritize her self-care amid heartbreak.

Several weeks after The Golden Bachelor fans watched Leslie not receive the final rose, she revealed an unexpected change to her health. On Dec. 28, 2023, Leslie shared on Instagram that she spent her birthday in the emergency room.

"I know everyone was just curious to know what I did on my 65th birthday," she wrote via E! News. "I spent it in the hospital. Yes, I had a bowel blockage, severe cramping, and came into the ER."

Leslie further shared with her fans that the bowel blockage came after she said she had stomach pains "for 12 hours." She warned others not to wait as long as she did if they were also having stomach issues, as it could be severe.

After her ER visit, she underwent surgery for the blockage. Then, after the surgery, the former figure skater spent three days in the hospital for the doctors to treat scar tissue from an appendectomy she had at 18.

On her Instagram account, Leslie expressed her desire to remain positive amid her health scare. She eventually returned home from the hospital and shared how "excited" she was to reunite with her dog. In December 2023, she celebrated her birthday with a photo of her and her fur baby.

"Thank you to everyone, from the bottom of my heart, for the amazing birthday messages that I received," Leslie wrote on her birthday. "I am so appreciative and grateful for everyone who supports me on a daily basis. This has been an amazing year for me, and I count my blessings daily. Happy 2024."

While 2023 ended on a rocky note for Leslie, she started 2024 embracing love and being open to getting another chance at love, even if it's without her love, Gerry.

Fans were convinced Gerry would choose Leslie as his future bride when The Golden Bachelor aired its finale in November 2023. However, many were surprised to watch Gerry pick Theresa after stating he believed Leslie was "the one." Leslie admitted she was "blindsided" by Gerry's choice and told the bachelor he convinced her she was the one he wanted to spend the rest of his life with.

"You made it sound like you chose me," she explained to Gerry in the finale. "You led me down a path and then you took a turn and left me there. I wasn't sure what changed or what happened."

Since the finale, Leslie has moved on and is seemingly happy for Gerry and Theresa. Several days after her surgery, Leslie got dolled up to attend Gerry and Theresa's wedding in Palm Springs for The Golden Wedding. The wedding included many women Gerry didn't choose while searching for his bride.

Although some would opt to avoid their ex's wedding like the plague, Leslie shared on The Golden Wedding that she was ecstatic to witness Gerry and Theresa tie the knot on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024. While discussing the wedding with fellow castmate Kathy Swarts, Leslie shared that seeing two people in her age group join in matrimony was more important to her than the heartbreak she endured on the show.

"At our age, we have to celebrate love," Leslie explained to Kathy on The Golden Wedding. "And I was very good friends with Theresa. We supported each other throughout the whole time in the house and all the way through this journey. And I am so, so happy for her and Gerry. I really am. And I am here at the end of the day to support love in any way.”

It's nice to see Leslie letting go of any grudges she may have from the competition, stress can cause further health scares!