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On January 8, American actor Josh Duhamel took to his Instagram handle and announced news of engagement through a picture with his long-time girlfriend, Audra Mari.
As per Duhamel's quip in the caption, Mari found a piece of paper tucked inside a bottle which had washed ashore, and said yes to it.
Within minutes of Josh Duhamel posting, fans and admirers of the couple started showering them with blessings and good wishes. The list also includes Duhamel's ex-wife and singer, Fergie, who congratulated the couple with six green heart emojis.
The wedding proposal was also special since January 8 marks Mari's birthday.
The reason behind Josh Duhamel and Fergie's divorce
The early days of their relationship and marriage
Josh Duhamel and Fergie first sparked dating rumors in September 2004 after a meeting during a shoot for the television show Las Vegas, which featured Black Eyed Peas and Duhamel.
After dating for three years, the duo got engaged in 2007 and two years later, tied the knot in 2009.
However, within a year of their marriage, rumors sparked about Duhamel being unfaithful and cheating on Fergie. But the couple stayed together.
They welcomed their first child, a boy, in August 2013 and named him Axl Jack Duhamel.
Fergie and Josh's divorce, and the reasons that were made public
After being together for eight years, the couple filed for a divorce in 2017 and released the following joint statement to media outlet People:
"With absolute love and respect we decided to separate as a couple earlier this year. To give our family the best opportunity to adjust, we wanted to keep this a private matter before sharing it with the public. We are and will always be united in our support of each other and our family."
Their divorce was finalized in 2019. As per media outlet The Things, there were several things that played a role in their split. The publication wrote that an anonymous source had revealed that Josh Duhamel and Fergie's love outgrew during their marriage. Their busy work schedules formed an additional factor. The source said:
"This was a long time coming and they've been trying to sort everything out this past year."
The source also revealed that the pair did not have anything in common and had different lifestyles.
Another suspected reason for their split was their different views when it comes to family. Reportedly, Duhamel wanted to have more kids and a big family, whereas Fergie had clashing ideas about it.
Talking about this on Armchair Expert in 2018, Duhamel said he wants to have more kids in the coming years since he's not young anymore.
"It’s more about finding someone young enough to have kids. It’s not as if I’m out there trying to just [expletive] anything. That’s not who I am. I’m trying to find a girl that I can be with and have a family with."
Josh Duhamel started dating former Miss World America Audra Mari in 2019 after meeting through some mutual friends. While the duo kept their private lives out of the limelight, their relationship was confirmed after the two were spotted kissing each other while on a date.
