Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner was “thrilled” to get some closure with Faith Martin after her shocking elimination.
“Faith and I knew that our parting at the mansion represented no closing for either of us,” Gerry, 72, told Sherri Shepherd on Sherri during an interview set to air on Friday, November 10. “She’s just a genuine good heart. She’s warm, loving. In the hug, we still told each other we loved each other, and that’s just the way it is.”
Gerry made an emotional decision during the Thursday, November 9, episode, when he sent home Faith, 60, following their hometown date. The elimination was particularly shocking for viewers as both Gerry and Faith declared their love for each other the week prior. (Leslie Fhima and Theresa Nist are Gerry’s final two contestants.)
“To try so hard and then have it not work is just devastating,” Faith said in her confessional after the elimination, holding back tears. Gerry told Faith it was a “joy” getting to know her before they said their goodbyes.
“Right now, I’m numb. It’s going to be a while before I figure it out. If I ever figure it out,” Faith said. “I feel like we connected on a level where I was ready to marry the dude. I wanted so much more for me. I wanted so? much more for my kids. … Maybe it’s just not in the cards for me.”
Gerry reflected on the difficult elimination during an interview with Deadline on Thursday.
“I knew in my head what I wanted to do, but that didn’t make executing that decision any easier,” he explained. “What you saw on my face and my behavior wasn’t indecision by any means. It was the inability to find a way to be the least painful to someone in delivering that news.”
Faith, for her part, was brought to the hot seat during the Women Tell All portion of Thursday’s Golden Bachelor episode where she reacted to the “gut-wrenching” elimination — and was reunited with Gerry for the first time. While they both got emotional, Faith thanked Gerry for showing her that she was able to find love again.
Gerry explained that it was important he and Faith had a reunion in order to get “some closure,” during his Deadline interview.
“We had expressed feelings for each other. And to have had that relationship end so abruptly is really difficult. I’m sure it was more difficult for her than it was for me, and I had a really hard time with it. So we were able to hug for a long time,” he told the publication. “We cried together. But I feel like both of us — we got to a point where we were OK with it. As she was walking off the stage to leave, I got her attention. This is one of those memories that I’ll keep with me, probably, forever. I asked for one more hug, and we, again, hugged for a long time.”
Per Faith, they also had a sweet moment off stage that wasn’t caught on camera.
“When I was leaving, he brought me back to hug me one more time. Those are private things but they are just so meaningful. He’s just really a true, soulful guy,” she told Glamour on Thursday. “And it’s what I loved about him from day one. He gave me so many gifts and treasures that I will always cherish, so I really feel like I’m going away with so much more than I came in with.”
The Golden Bachelor airs on ABC Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET.
