Josh Duhamel has revealed that he never felt comfortable with the "Hollywood stuff" during his marriage to Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie.
Josh and Fergie, real name Stacey Ferguson, began a whirlwind romance in 2004, which led to Josh proposing in 2007 and in a marriage that spanned from 2009 to 2017. They welcomed their son Axl in 2013 but since filing for divorce, Josh has gone on to find love again with wife Audra Mari.
"I don’t think I ever really got comfortable with all of it. It was a lot. I just missed the simplicity of who I really am, you know?" Josh has now shared during a chat on the podcast In Depth With Graham Bensinger.
“I’m just not a guy who is comfortable going to red carpets. Doing all the Hollywood stuff. Hollywood and L.A. and that whole lifestyle can suck the soul out of you if you’re not careful."
Josh and Audra – who are pregnant with their first child – now live on a ranch in North Dakota, and Josh added: "It just took me a long time to really feel like I belong, like I fit in. Having this place out here [his home in North Dakota], really allows me to get back to that kid that fell in love with nature. Fell in love with the outdoors and being creative and just being active."
He also praised Audra Mari for being "so great" and the perfect match because they are both from the state and "love lake life, we both love family, we both love kids.”
As for his relationship with 'London Boy' singer Fergie now, Josh shared that they have a "great" friendship, and that they had just outgrown each other, and had "very different interests".
"The older I got, the more I wanted to come out here [to North Dakota.] This is not for her. But I’ve got no hard feelings…I’m very lucky that she’s a kind human, I really am," he said.
Audra, 29, and Josh were first spotted together in 2019 and following a romantic proposal in January 2022 – which saw Audra discovering a heartfelt message in a bottle asking: "Audra Diane Mari, Will You Marry Me?" – the two wed in Fargo. ND, that September.
The Shotgun Wedding actor, 50, and his wife – who won the 2016 Miss World America pageant – shared news of their pregnancy earlier in September, revealing a sonogram image of their unborn baby to the world.
"Baby Duhamel coming soon," Audra captioned the post alongside a white heart emoji, and Fergie, 48, was among those to share their love for the pair, commenting: "I am truly happy for you guys, Axl can’t wait to be a big brother.”
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