Bachelor in Paradise finally made its way back to our television screens after a year-long hiatus, but it didn’t come back with new twists and a brand-new location. Set on the tropical beaches of Costa Rica, Season 10 shocked fans with the arrival of Golden contestants.

In Episode 2, a group of familiar faces from The Golden Bachelor and The Golden Bachelorette join the beach, proving that searching for love doesn’t stop at 60, and above. Among them is Leslie Fhima, best known as the runner-up from Gerry Turner’s season. Now back for another shot at love, Leslie brings not only experience but an intriguing past — including an alleged romance with legendary singer Prince.

Bachelor In Paradise Season 10’s Leslie Fhima Admitted To A Close Relationship With Iconic Singer Prince

The Golden Bachelor runner-up Leslie Fhima is back and ready to find love once again — this time on Season 10 of Bachelor in Paradise. Leslie, along with a group of former Golden contestants, was part of the show’s unexpected twist that left fans stunned. While she’s best known for her emotional journey on the debut season of The Golden Bachelor, where she finished as runner-up, perhaps missing out was a blessing in disguise. Now, she’s getting a second chance at love — and under the tropical sun, anything can happen.

However, back in 2023, and when The Golden Bachelor aired, Leslie shared some very interesting tidbits about her personal life, including having a super-close relationship with rockstar Prince.

Speaking on the Bachelor Happy Hour podcast, Leslie stated that she met Prince when she was 18-years-old thanks to her cousin, Bobby Z, who was a record producer and drummer in Prince’s band, The Revolution. The band was formed in 1979, with their most iconic song being 1984’s “Purple Rain.” However, they later broke up in 1986.

Other notable songs by The Revolution:

• “Let’s Go Crazy”
• “When Doves Cry”
• “Kiss”

“So, Bobby introduced us and, I mean, we’re the same age, and we were 18, and he was amazing,” she shared. “And I’d go to his house and he’d play guitar and sing for me. And, you know, he was an amazing person, and people think he’s so quiet, but he’s hysterical. He was just really funny. Again, the humor I love.”

In the episode, Leslie also claimed that Prince’s song, “Sexy Dancer” (1979), was inspired by her. “I was dancing in a fashion show and Bobby brought him to the fashion show, and you know, he’s kind of like hiding behind a pole and I was coming downstairs dancing. And after he goes, ‘You are a sexy dancer.’ I’m gonna write a song about you. I’m like, ‘Okay,’ so anyways, that song came out a little bit after,'” Leslie said.

Leslie Was Married Twice Before She Appeared On The Golden Bachelor

During a conversation about her past connection with Prince, Leslie revealed a surprising story: she and the music icon had planned to meet at a specific location at midnight. While waiting for him at a party, she ended up striking up a conversation with a man named Brad Chazin. As the clock approached midnight, Leslie found herself at a crossroads — should she go meet Prince, or stay and explore this unexpected spark with Brad? In the end, she chose the latter, realizing that a lasting relationship with a global superstar might never be realistic, and she didn’t want to let Brad slip away.

“I mean, I adored Prince. But at the end of the day, you know, I knew that. I mean, I’m only 18… I have the show to go back to and then I did another show after that in Europe,” she shared. “So, I knew that Brad would be [the right choice], he was in love with me three years prior to that. So, you know, I made a decision and we have this amazing son Zach. And like I said, we’re friends.”

Leslie eventually married Brad, a Minneapolis-based contractor, and the two welcomed their son, Zach. She shared that the two split because they “kind of just became different.”

“I don’t like to say ‘grew apart.’ But if I needed something in the middle of the night, if I called him, he’d help me. I’m very good friends with his siblings and his cousins. Minneapolis is a small big town, so everybody knows each other.”

Leslie remarried a man named David Fhima, a Minneapolis-based chef, in 1990. The couple welcomed two children, but she would also end up divorced after he was unfaithful.

“I tried to keep my family together as long as I possibly could knowing what was going on. I just couldn’t do it. I wanted to stay married. That was all I wanted — was to be a wife, a mother, have a home, and have it all,” she told the podcast hosts. “It just didn’t work out. No fault of my own, but I couldn’t stay married to someone or be in a marriage with three people. My children understand, they love their dad, they love me. I don’t talk badly about them because I have nothing bad to say.”

Leslie Was Asked If She’d Ever Rekindle A Romance With Gerry Turner

Leslie Fhima was the runner-up on The Golden Bachelor, where Gerry Turner ultimately chose Theresa Nist to spend the rest of his life with. During the After the Final Rose special, Leslie wasn’t afraid to speak her mind and told Gerry how he had betrayed her. In a private conversation between the two, she insisted that Gerry told her he gave her “100 percent certainty” that she was his “girl.”

“And your words just meant so much to me, and that’s why I was blindsided. Because I wasn’t sure how it changed or what happened,” she told Gerry. He would apologize to her, but she was not accepting of it. However, they later made amends with Leslie even attending his January 2024 wedding to Theresa.

Just three months later, Gerry and Theresa announced their divorce, citing their inability to agree on where to settle as the main reason for their split. When speaking on the Playing the Field podcast, Leslie was asked if she would ever rekindle any sort of romantic relationship with Gerry. Leslie shared that she’s nobody’s second choice.

“It’s not like, ‘Oh, I hate the guy.’ I was in love with him. I care a lot about him. But A, I’m no one’s second choice. Ever. And B, that window is closed for me,” she said.

However, Leslie now has a second chance at finding love and viewers are hoping that she and the other Golden contestants find that special someone this season.