The moment that Bachelor Nation fans have been waiting for has arrived. In the season finale of M-Net’s romantic series, The Bachelor SA, it was revealed that Lee Thompson handed his final rose to Gina Myers, a 32-year-old make-up artist, in dreamy Mauritius. The gorgeous brunette stole Lee’s heart and had the stunning Jack Friedman ring slipped on her finger, as he whisked her away into the sunset.
In the final chapter of the journey towards finding true love, Lee had to choose between Jozaan and Gina, whom he felt were both “once in a lifetime women”. Unfortunately for 28-year-old lawyer, Jozaan Dique, it just wasn’t meant to be. Lee said the last thing she wanted to hear: “It hurts me to say this, but my heart is with someone else. I have to say goodbye to you today, I’m sorry.” The intense and emotional ending left Jozaan confused and in tears.
Back in the studio, Jozaan admitted it was difficult to reflect on the outcome, as she still didn't have any closure. “I’m not angry," said teary-eyed Jozaan. "I understand where he came from. Gina is a fantastic woman and I wish them the best. It's not me, and I am completely okay with that, it is just not easy.”
For Gina, her dreams became a reality. Beneath a beautiful flower arch, along the side of the LUX* Grand Gaube beach, Lee professed his love for her. “You have the most beautiful heart I have ever come across in anyone, ever. And I would like to take your heart and look after it and give you mine in return. Gina, my Gina, when I’m with you, I feel like I am home. And I don’t want this fairy-tale to ever end.”
Then he offered her the beautiful Jack Friedman ring as a commitment to make her happy forever. “Gina, I love you,” he said. It was a magical, perfect moment. Gina responded with, “I love his heart and I think that is the most important part. I feel like this is all surreal. I feel like I am going to wake up from a dream.”
Sure enough, reality kicked in after they left the “fairytale Bachelor bubble”.
In the explosive tell-all evening, jaws in the room dropped when Lee revealed: “After that final day, I was extremely confused mentally and emotionally. Back in the real world, our relationship got off to a rocky start and I wasn’t fully there for Gina when she needed me. That’s the bottom line and that affected our relationship,” Lee said.
The couple, once so madly in love, decided to call it quits. Gina believes that her and Lee’s paths were meant to cross, as they have both grown from the experience. “I walk away with incredible friendships. I’m a much stronger person for it. Beautiful memories. Lee taught me things about myself that I didn’t know. And I still believe in fairytales.”
So, fans may be asking, did Lee make the wrong decision? He is philosophical about it. “I can’t say I think I made the wrong decision, because in that moment and in that fairytale, I followed my heart.” So there you have it, Bachelor Nation: an incredible twelve-week journey in pursuit of love that, sadly, didn't end in "happy ever after".
The 24 ladies that started the journey alongside Lee returned for a trip down memory lane. Many of the ladies have found love since...and received roses by the dozen! The diary that caused a whole lot of trouble at the mansion remains a mystery to this day – America never got it back and Michelle D remains the No. 1 suspect, with none of the other ladies coming forward. The first impression rose recipient, Michelle R, revealed that she is taking a break from romance. She feels she was misunderstood in the mansion but has no regrets.
Lee also revealed that if he could spend more time with any of the ladies, it would have to be Jenna. Awks moment of the evening? When Nontombi confronted Lee because he never made an effort to chat with her at cocktail parties!
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