What Happened To Marina On ‘The Golden Bachelor’?

Episode 2 of The Golden Bachelor featured a one-on-one date, a group date, and a surprise birthday bash for 72-year-old lead Gerry Turner. But one contestant who received a rose on Night 1 was mysteriously missing through it all: Marina Perera.

On Thursday night, Bachelor Nation was left wondering what happened to the 60-year-old educator from Los Angeles, California. And while they didn’t get answers during the episode, The Golden Bachelor’s official Instagram account posted a video explaining Marina’s departure later that night. Though we don’t know specifics, we do know Marina left the show to deal with an urgent family situation. Thankfully, she was able to get closure with Gerry thanks to a little help from technology and host Jesse Palmer.

“Marina’s had a situation with her family back home. She’s no longer here now, but she did want the opportunity to speak to you, if that’s OK,” Jesse told Gerry, before calling Marina on FaceTime.

“The thing I wanted to tell you, I’m a single mom, and I had to choose my family and support my family’s needs at this time,” Marina explained. “I am sorry that I had to leave, but at the same time I had to get my priorities straight.”

Gerry, as usual, was incredibly kind and empathetic. “I fully understand — commitment to family overrides just about everything else. I really respect you for doing what you’ve done. I agree with you 100 percent that you needed to put your family needs before everything else,” he told Marina.

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“I think I needed to hear that,” Marina replied. “I wanna wish you well. I think there are some beautiful women with beautiful souls. And I want to wish you nothing but my best from my heart.”

“That’s a wonderful sentiment,” Gerry said, before sending his prayers and support. “When you do the right thing and make the right decision, good things still come to you,” Gerry told Jesse, who said he thinks Gerry and Marina were taking the right approach.

Marina also shared the video on her personal Instagram account alongside the caption, “Leaving the show was difficult, choosing family was not!”

Per Marina’s official ABC bio, in addition to being an educator, she’s mom to “two impressive kids and two adorable fur babies,” so she has a lot of responsibility outside of the mansion.

In addition to Marina, three women — Natascha, Jeanie, and Peggy — went home during Episode 2. So Gerry is really starting to narrow down his search for love.

New episodes of The Golden Bachelor air on Thursdays from 8:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. ET on ABC. Next-day streaming is available on Hulu. And be sure to read our Episode 2 recap to learn out what else went down at the mansion.