‘The Golden Bachelor’s Ellen Goltzer Gives Tearful Update On BFF Roberta’s Death: “I Told Her We’re Gonna Watch The Show From Different Places”

Despite her never having appeared on The Golden Bachelor, all of Bachelor Nation knows the name Roberta Zaktzer thanks to fan-favorite contestant Ellen Goltzer.

Fans of the senior Bachelor spinoff will recall Ellen stepping out of the limo on Night 1 and yelling “ROBERTA, WE MADE IT” as a nod to her longtime best friend of 60 years who was diagnosed with cancer. Roberta, a proud member of Bachelor Nation, is the person who encouraged her BFF to apply for The Golden Bachelor. The two looked forward to watching Ellen’s journey together, but sadly, as we learned from a touching tribute card at the end of the premiere, Roberta died before the series aired.

During The Golden Bachelor‘s “Women Tell All” episode, Ellen joined host Jesse Palmer on stage to discuss her time spent with Gerry. But she also offered a tearful update on Roberta before being greeted by a special audience member, Roberta’s daughter. (Warning: Grab the tissues!)

 “60 years of continued friendship, like a true sister, I just wanted to make sure that I gave her the one wish that she wanted. She just said, ‘Please, Ellen. Just go apply,'” Ellen told Jesse in front of a studio audience. “[I said] ‘OK! I’ll apply. What’s gonna happen? I’m not gonna get on it.’ And then one thing led to another and she said, ‘I’ve been diagnosed with Stage 4 cancer. Thank you so much for doing this for me. I can’t wait to watch the first episode with you.'”

Ellen got choked up for a moment before sharing that when she returned from filming Roberta was in a semi-coma state. “I knew that she was suffering and I knew that she was staying with me so we could share that,” she said. “I finally said to her, ‘I don’t want you to suffer anymore. I want you to go. It’s OK. We’re gonna watch the show, just from different places. Together. And I shared it with her daughter and my children, and it was a remarkable experience just to know that she was watching over me, because I miss her. I miss her a lot.”

After Jesse Palmer wiped tears from his eyes he told Ellen that her story touched someone in the audience: Roberta’s daughter Courtney. The two women tightly embraced, and as Ellen wiped her eyes, Courtney said, “Thank you — from my family, from everyone — for showing us what true friendship, love, loyalty look like. You are beautiful inside and out. You were the best friend she ever could have asked for. And if anyone deserves to find love and happiness it’s you. You deserve the world.” Are you crying? Cause we’re crying.

“I love you so much,” Ellen said before the two shared another huge hug.

Roberta, WE MADE IT!

New episodes of The Golden Bachelor air Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC, with next-day streaming on Hulu.