‘The Golden Bachelor’: Marina Perera Left the Show to ‘Get Her Priorities Straight’
The Golden Bachelor cast member Marina Perera has taken herself out of the running to win Gerry Turner’s heart. The educator left the ABC reality series after just one week because she needed to focus on her family.
What happened to Marina in ‘The Golden Bachelor’?
Marina’s time on The Golden Bachelor was brief. She earned a rose during The Bachelor spinoff’s season premiere. As a sophisticated woman with three master’s degrees and an active lifestyle, she seemed like she might be a good match for Gerry. But the educator and world traveler — she’s visited more than 34 countries — didn’t appear in the second episode, which aired Oct. 5. We found out why thanks to a deleted scene posted on Instagram.
In the clip, The Golden Bachelor host Jesse Palmer tells Gerry, 72, that Marina, 60, has decided to leave the show, but that she wanted to speak with him. During a video call, she explained that family responsibilities were behind her sudden departure from the mansion.
“The thing I wanted to tell you, you know, I’m a single mom and I had to choose my family and, you know, support my family’s needs at this time,” she said. “I am so sorry that I had to leave, but at the same time I had to get my priorities straight.”
She added: “I really want to wish you well. I think there are some beautiful women with some beautiful souls and I want to wish you nothing but the best from my heart.”
Gerry Turner says he understands Marina’s choice to leave
Gerry – who has two adult daughters – said he understood Marina’s decision
“Commitment to family overrides just about everything else,” he said of the Golden Bachelor cast member’s decision to leave.
“I really respect you for doing what you’ve done,” he added. “I agree with you 100% that you needed to put your family needs before everything else.”
In an interview after the call, Gerry admitted he was “disappointed” to see Marina go. But he was confident she’d made the right decision for herself and that “good things” would come to her as a result.
Marina seems to be at peace with her early exit from The Golden Bachelor. In an Instagram post from an account that appears to belong to her, the educator from Los Angeles said, “Leaving the show was difficult, choosing family was not!”
Marina didn’t elaborate on what specifically led her to leave the show. She has two young adult children, including a son who graduated in 2022 and a daughter who may be college-aged, based on her Instagram. Whatever the situation, it seems Marina made the right choice to prioritize her loved ones over reality TV fame.
With Marina’s exit and three eliminations, there are now 12 women left in the running for the final rose on The Golden Bachelor.
The Golden Bachelor airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. Episodes stream the next day on Hulu.
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