Josh Duhamel has addressed the age gap between himself and his wife Audra Mari.
Speaking on the Not Skinny But Not Fat Podcast, the American actor, 52, shared the story of how he and his now wife, 31, came to be married.
He explained that he initially hesitated to get involved with Mari because of the 21-year age difference, but he quickly came to realise she’s “more mature than I am.”
Watch the video above.
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Duhamel began by saying the duo first bonded over being from the same area and in a similar industry, but purely as friends.
“I think she reached out because she knew we were both from North Dakota, and it was truly platonic for like years before that,” he said, adding that he thought, “she’s too young for me, I’m not even going to go there.”
They were in touch via DMs and he eventually invited her to his house for a barbecue, “still thinking it was totally platonic, just as a friend.”
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But the moment he saw her, he thought, “Holy s–t this girl’s beautiful,” followed promptly by, “No I can’t, no she’s too young, I can’t do it.”
But after spending time together, Duhamel realised “she’s more mature than I am.”
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“And that’s really how we started dating and it’s been a beautiful thing.”
The pair got married in their native North Dakota in 2022, welcoming their first child – a son named Shepherd Lawrence Duhamel – in November 2024.
Duhamel already shares a 10-year-old son, Axl, from his previous marriage to Black Eyed Peas singer Fergie, who he was with for a decade from 2009 before divorcing in 2019.
The Transformers star had just split from Fergie in 2017 before finalising their divorce in 2019 – the same year he reportedly met Mari.
Duhamel and Mari remain notoriously private, though the actor did confess that he wasn’t actively looking for another relationship when he met Mari.
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Speaking to hosts Kelly Rippa and Mark Consuelos on Live with Kelly and Mark, the actor shared: “It happens when you least expect it. And that was the case for us,” he explained.
“She just sorta smacked me upside the head when she walked in the room. I was like, ‘Whoa. I can’t… No… Well maybe, I can?'”
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