'Golden Bachelor' runner-up Leslie Fhima spent birthday in hospital for unexpected surgery

Leslie Fhima of ABC's "The Golden Bachelor" spent her 65th birthday in the hospital, she recently shared with fans.

The season one runner-up shared an Instagram story on New Year's Eve, revealing that she was spending the holiday and her birthday, which came on Dec. 28, in a hospital bed. Fhima said an unexpected bowel blockage led to emergency surgery after she ended up in the ER with severe pain on Dec. 27.

"I know that everyone was just curious to know what I did on my 65th birthday. I spent it in the hospital. Yes, I had a bowl blockage, severe cramping, came into the ER," she shared in her post, as reported by multiple outlets. "It was just something so random. Actually, scar tissue from an appendectomy I had when I was 18 years old."

She also advised fans, "if you have severe stomach issues, don't wait 12 hours to go to the hospital like I did."

The newly 65-year-old shared she would be leaving the hospital and returning home to her dog the same day after a five-day stay.

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Who is Leslie Fhima?

Leslie became a fan favorite in the first season of "The Golden Bachelor," where she was the first runner-up. After making it to the final round of the dating reality show, she lost the ring to winner Theresa Nist, who will marry star 72-year-old Gerry Turner in a televised event on Thursday, Jan. 4.

Leslie first began winning hearts on the show with her memorable entrance in the first episode, during which she arrived dressed as an old granny, complete with a curly grey wig, nightgown and walker, before ripping it all off to reveal a sexy, lacy get-up underneath.

The Minneapolis, Minnesota, contestant boasted an eclectic background of skills, including a former career as a professional figure skater, a current career as a personal trainer and founder and owner of dog nutrition company PowerBark, and a list of hobbies that includes dancing and running marathons (her Instagram bio says that she has completed 10.)

She has three adult children with her ex-husband David Fhima, a renowned professional chef.