Since The Golden Bachelor welcomed 22 spritely seniors to the Bachelor Mansion on Night 1, Bachelor Nation has fallen in love with several delightful 60 and 70-year-old contestants. But as host Jesse Palmer noted during the first ever Golden Bachelor “Women Tell All” special, “there was one woman who had everybody’s heart the moment she stepped out of the limo.” Retired teacher and current pickleball co-captain Ellen Goltzer, of course!

The fan-favorite contestant from Delray Beach, Florida was unfortunately eliminated ahead of Hometown Dates, but Ellen returned to screens with 12 fellow contestants to chat about her painful breakup with Gerry Turner, her late best friend Roberta, her newfound hope in finding love, and more.

After host Jesse Palmer welcomed Ellen to the stage to watch a look back at her Golden Bachelor journey, the contestant reflected on her unexpected elimination. When asked to describe her goodbye with Gerry, Ellen described it as “probably one of the most emotional and difficult times of my life, where I was face-to-face with true unhappiness and disappointment.”

“I just saw an amazing life with him. He was attentive, and caring, and loving, and funny. The way he treated me — he truly made me feel like a princess,” she said. “From what I got out of the show the most is gratitude for Gerry. Getting me to know that I am worthy…I can enjoy my life and live it to the utmost and find happiness. I’ll tell you the truth, I can’t wait to get started.”

The studio audience cheered Ellen on and Jesse said, “There’s a very lucky man out there waiting.” (Ellen for Golden Bachelorette? She’s got Decider’s stamp of approval!)

Wondering how Gerry’s historic journey to find love ends? New episodes of The Golden Bachelor premiere Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. ET on ABC, with next-day streaming on Hulu.