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Josh Duhamel has candidly discussed his feelings about his ex-wife Fergie having been a bigger star than he was during their marriage.
They met on the set of the TV dramedy Las Vegas, tied the knot in 2007 and over the course of their decade-long marriage welcomed a son called Axl, 12.
Fergie, 50, and Duhamel, 53, left fans in shock when they announced their split in 2017, finalizing their divorce two years later.
The former couple retained an amicable co-parenting bond, and she is apparently friendly with his new wife Audra Mari, 32, whom he married in 2022.
Duhamel and his wife now live in their native North Dakota - away from the glare of Hollywood - and share a son called Shepherd, two, with a baby girl on the way.
Now, however, Duhamel has reflected frankly on the sensation of being in the 'shadow' of his first wife's massive global superstardom, on The Megyn Kelly Show.
Josh Duhamel has candidly discussed his feelings about his ex-wife Fergie having been a bigger star than he was during their marriage; pictured 2015
It was a huge shift because suddenly I was - she was a massive star at the time so it was a big adjustment for me if I'm being honest,' he said.
'But you know, Fergs is a very normal person at the end of the day. Good mom. We have a great relationship. She and my wife actually get along great,' Duhamel noted.
His misgivings about their fame differential was 'probably my own ego more than anything,' the Transformers actor acknowledged while speaking to Kelly.
'I don't think it bugged her as much as it probably did me. But she was a massive star at the time, and suddenly you're sort of in that shadow a lot of the times.'
Kelly then asked if the husbands of famous female singers experienced 'the same fear' that the wives of male rock stars do - that of their spouses being pursued sexually by fans while on the road.
'I don't know the answer to that question,' said Duhamel, adding that any such misgivings 'didn't' enter his mind during their marriage.
'Listen, Fergie and I have a great relationship. We parent our son Axl. She's a great mom. I'm extremely happily married now to my wife Audra,' he said.
'We have a beautiful son and another girl on the way - and they have a great relationship, which is what i really care about, which is making sure that everybody's really copacetic. I just want peace. I don't any infighting between anybody and they've thankfully been very civil in the way they've approached this whole thing.'
They met on the set of the TV dramedy Las Vegas , tied the knot in 2007 and over the course of their decade-long marriage welcomed a son called Axl, 12; pictured 2016
Fergie, 50, and Duhamel, 53, left fans in shock when they announced their split in 2017, finalizing their divorce two years later; pictured 2013
Duhamel's revelations come after a source close to the former couple exclusively revealed to the Daily Mail why he and Fergie ended their relationship.
'Josh really wanted to have more children and Fergie was really content with having one and it was a big tipping point in their marriage,' the insider shared.
'He's more of a social butterfly and Fergie is a bit more reserved and quiet. They are both very kind hearted, good people, but they had different directions with what they ultimately wanted out of life when it came to expanding their family.'
The source made a point of adding that 'Fergie thinks Josh is a great dad and they co-parent really well together. There's zero bad blood between them and they both speak very highly of one another.'
Duhamel had recently showered praise on Fergie, calling her 'wholesome' as well as 'a great mom, very kind, very non-confrontational,' during a recent appearance on Lauryn and Michael Bosstick's podcast The Skinny Confidential.
'All of the kind things Josh said on the podcast, Fergie feels the same way towards him. It was 100 percent accurate and genuine,' said the Daily Mail's source.
Meanwhile another insider explained: 'Fergie is an incredible mother and they co-parent so well, and family for her is super important, but she thrives much better by herself, able to do what she wants to do.'
That source elaborated to the Daily Mail: 'You can almost suggest that as a reason she isn't with the Black Eyed Peas anymore. There is still respect with the band, but she thrives better when by herself, when she can do a lot more for herself and not be stuck in an environment where she feels emotionally or creatively held back.'
Duhamel is pictured with new wife Audra Mari, 32, as well as their now two-year-old son Shepherd and the son he amicably co-parents with Fergie
Duhamel and his wife now live in their native North Dakota - away from the glare of Hollywood - and now have a baby girl girl on the way
Duhamel, while explaining his divorce to the Bossticks, remarked that he and Fergie were 'just very different' with 'different views of the world, and that's okay.'
He had expanded further on their differences in 2023 while discussing the breakdown of his first marriage on In Depth with Graham Bensinger.
'I think we kind of outgrew each other and had very different interests,' he said, adding that as he grew 'older' he developed a stronger desire to move back to his home state of North Dakota, which was 'not for her.'
Duhamel divulged that he never 'really got comfortable with' life in Hollywood, which 'was a lot. I just missed the simplicity of who I really am, you know? I'm just not a guy who is comfortable going to red carpets. Doing all the Hollywood stuff. Hollywood and LA and that whole lifestyle can suck the soul out of you if you're not careful.'
He gushed that his current wife was 'so great for me' because they are 'both hardcore North Dakotans' who 'love lake life,' 'love family' and 'love kids.'
