The Golden Bachelor star Gerry Turner has revealed when exactly -- and why -- he picked Theresa Nist as his winner over runner-up Leslie Fhima.

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"There was a clear moment when it happened," Gerry teased to Access Hollywood in a joint interview with Theresa.

"It was behind closed doors in the Fantasy Suite. We had some conversations that led from one step to another to another. I had some question marks that she addressed before I was even able to ask the question."

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Gerry professed his love to both Leslie and Theresa in the Fantasy Suites, and then he brutally dumped Leslie in her hotel room in Costa Rica in second place.

Gerry proceeded to propose marriage to Theresa at the Final Rose Ceremony, and the show ended with the happy couple engaged and planning a January 2024 wedding as well as a move to South Carolina.

But Gerry had clearly been leaning toward choosing Leslie more than halfway through The Golden Bachelor process.

The Golden Bachelor star therefore recalled when he began to have a change of heart, telling Access Hollywood how Theresa "fully" captured his attention during the romantic dinner they had prior to their Fantasy Suite.

"We were talking about the more important things, the things that nobody needed to be in on, except for us. And man, was it clear! I knew exactly," Gerry shared.

"And watching it back, even the dinner before the Fantasy Suite, I watched it and I texted [Theresa], and I said, 'I'm watching myself fall in love with you right now,' at that dinner."

Gerry said learning about Theresa's career and her perseverance to succeed in finance and business wasn't the only topic that impressed him and eventually won him over.

"It was that she let her guard down. She became vulnerable; she was showing herself," Gerry said.

Theresa admitted to Access Hollywood that the Fantasy Suite was a crucial time for her relationship with Gerry because she had "a really difficult time" opening up and being vulnerable on-camera before it.

"[I] just couldn't relax," Theresa confessed. "It wasn't until the [Fantasy Suite] when I was like, 'Theresa, just be yourself.'"

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She added, "He knew what career I had, but he said, 'I just want to know more about it.' And I said, 'Yeah, you should ask me that! Ask me that question, yes!' That was the moment I started really being myself."

Theresa confessed that she was "very self-conscious" on-camera because of "all the men" in her life.

"I didn't want to say the wrong thing. I've got six grandsons and I've got a brother and a son and a son-in-law," she pointed out.

"So I was kind of censoring myself a lot. And then I really leapt at the chance, going into the Fantasy Suite, so I could continue that conversation. And [Gerry] finally saw who I was, I think."

Gerry agreed and said it was "a great moment" for them both and he "loved it." He was apparently sold on Theresa "one thousand percent" once he made his mind up that he wanted to be with her.

After all, Theresa explained how she never wanted to "force" herself onto Gerry because she wanted him to grow to love her and desire her "freely and without hesitation."

In separate interviews, Gerry told Katie Couric on her YouTube channel that religion played no role in his final decision, and he elaborated on why he came to view Theresa as his match during a chat with the Los Angeles Times.

"The criteria I had looked for in a perfect partner included a few things, including the ability to make me calm when I got excited. In my first one-on-one date with Theresa, you saw how well she made me calm," Gerry said.

"One of the other things I realized with the passage of time was finding someone who would make me a better person. She has done that. She makes me smile... [And] sense of humor is really fantastic. It's very dry."

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Gerry also called Theresa "a strong person" and noted how she's "no one's pushover."

He added, "Her ability to match my personality was also a huge factor. We just make a perfect pair. We're better as a couple than we are individually."

Gerry and Theresa are looking forward to their wedding on January 4, 2024, which will be televised on ABC.

"There's a lot of relief, a lot of anticipation about what's going to happen in the future, now that we can openly talk and plan things together," Gerry told the LA Times.

On The Golden Bachelor season, Gerry and Theresa were able to understand and relate to each other on a deep level when discussing loss and past trauma.

Gerry's wife, Toni, had passed away in 2017 from a bacterial infection after 43 years of marriage. And Theresa lost her husband, Billy, in 2014 from kidney failure after 42 years of marriage.

Gerry ultimately told Theresa that she's the "right" woman for him and he realize at the end of filming The Golden Bachelor that he can't live without her.

Gerry, however, has come under fire recently for allegedly having -- and not being honest in the press about -- a live-in girlfriend of nearly three years prior to applying for The Golden Bachelor.

Gerry has since addressed the allegations against him, and Theresa also broke her silence about the unflattering report.

RELATED LINK: 'THE BACHELOR' FRANCHISE COUPLES NOW: WHO IS STILL TOGETHER?? (PHOTOS)

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About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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