Fans were stunned when Gerry Turner sent Faith packing after they both said 'I love you.'
Faith Martin's family was devastated when Gerry Turner ended things with her. At the conclusion of Thursday's "The Women Tell All" special, viewers learned that it was Faith who did not advance to the final two women, as Gerry awarded roses to Leslie and Theresa instead.
The shocking decision, which came after Faith and Gerry exchanged I love yous during her Hometown date, left Bachelor Nation, Faith and her sons stunned.
"I think they were shattered. It'll make me cry. I think it was really devastating for all of us, because I think they fell in love with him a little bit too, just picturing our life together and what that could be," Faith told ET's Denny Directo of her family. "I think they were all so happy and thinking that it might go that direction, so it was a big surprise and a big letdown."
"But we're all there together," she continued. "We know sometimes things happen in the world that you can't predict and you just gotta roll with it. It's just what it is."
That confusion was displayed in full force on Thursday's reunion episode when Faith sat down in the hot seat.
"I was terrified. I don't know if you could tell I was shaking. I was literally, my body was shaking," Faith admitted. "I really didn't know really how I would feel seeing him, because sometimes it was even hard for me to see him on screen. I'd get all teary. It's a lot of mixed emotions."
Faith and Gerry's conversation was a tearful one, which was, surprisingly, of some comfort to Faith.
"Gerry's an emotional guy. I love that he can feel deep. I don't think I would have connected with him as much if he wasn't a deep feeler," she said. "So it's part of the appeal... I didn't think that I would get that from him, and so I'm happy that I did, because if he would have given me the stoic, cold face, I would have left here feeling not good."
In the end, Faith said that seeing Gerry again "felt great."
"It really did. It felt great. You never know how those things are gonna go, but I would have to say I can leave here feeling really, really good about how I got that acknowledgement that I needed," she said. "It was so nice to hug him again. It was really beautiful."
Gerry agreed, telling ET that he believes both he and Faith got closure out of their conversation.
"I wanted to hear what she had to say," he said. "I wanted to know that, at the end of our conversation, she felt better. Maybe not completely healed, but better."
Gerry also made it a point to end things on a positive note, explaining, "As we're leaving, I motioned one more. She knew I meant one more hug, and we hugged hard and long again. She said, 'I love you,' and I said it back, because that feeling will be there. But I also said, 'OK, when we break this hug, let's have a smile on our face.' And we did."
"That's the way we're going to remember each other now rather than the way it was," he added.
After her experience on the show, Faith told ET that she hopes the walls she built up over the years are "down for good."
"I have to say, this has been a complete, life-changing event for me. I feel so more wide awake and so much more present about just life in general," she said. "... I just feel more alive. I absolutely got so much out of this and so many 'a ha' moments and self reflective, introspective 'a ha' moments about just learning about myself. It was it was amazing. It's really, really, really amazing."
The Golden Bachelor airs Thursdays on ABC. Follow along Gerry Turner's journey for love with ET's coverage of the show.
RELATED CONTENT:
