Josh Duhamel says Hollywood lifestyle played a role in his split with ex-wife Fergie

A classic Hollywood love story wasn't in the cards for Josh Duhamel and Fergie, but the pair found a sweet sequel even after the credits rolled.

Duhamel, who was previously married to the Black Eyed Peas pop star, opened up about the former couple's split during an appearance on "In Depth With Graham Bensinger" published Wednesday.

The actor and "Buddy Games" host said the media glare of being in a high-profile relationship took its toll on his union with Fergie.

"I don’t think I ever really got comfortable with all of it," Duhamel said. "I just missed the simplicity of who I really am."

A native of North Dakota, Duhamel said he struggled early in his career to acclimate to an entertainment industry lifestyle. "I'm just not a guy who is comfortable going to red carpets, doing all the Hollywood stuff," he said.

Duhamel met Fergie in 2004 on the set of his show "Las Vegas" when she and the Black Eyed Peas made an appearance. They wed in January 2009 at a vineyard in Malibu, California, and went on to have a son, Axl Jack, in August 2013.

Following eight years of marriage, the couple announced their split in September 2017. Duhamel, who married former Miss World America Audra Mari in 2022, said there are "no hard feelings" for ex Fergie.

"I made peace with that part of my life. She and I have a great relationship," Duhamel said, calling Fergie "a kind human." "There wasn’t anything wrong with it. We had a great time, but I think we just kind of outgrew each other and had very different interests."

Duhamel spoke to USA TODAY about his positive co-parenting relationship with Fergie in September.

"It was really important both for she and I to make sure that we put aside (our) differences for his benefit. Fergie has been great," Duhamel said. "She's a really good mom to Axl, and we just have a good working relationship as far as raising our son together. I'm actually really, really lucky because I've seen cases that aren't like that."

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Contributing: Maria Puente, USA TODAY