Years before Fergie and Josh Duhamel called it quits, the actor opened up exclusively to Us Weekly about his secret to a happy marriage.
“We just like each other,” Duhamel, 44, told Us at an event for the American Red Cross in Santa Monica in December 2012. “We like each other and that’s, I think, that’s what you have to have. She’s kind, she’s sweet, I love her, but we genuinely like each other.”
Fast-forward to present day, and the lovebirds have parted ways after eight years of marriage. “With absolute love and respect, we decided to separate as a couple earlier this year,” they confirmed in a joint statement to Us on Thursday, September 14. “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.”
The news came as a shock to fans, but a source exclusively told Us that the Transformers actor and the “Big Girls Don’t Cry (Personal)” singer, 42, “had been having problems” for a while. “He moved out around early spring,” the insider added. “They are both really good people and committed to their son, but they are too different to make it work.”
A second source exclusively told Us that the couple, who share 4-year-old son Axl, were planning to expand their family just months before their split. “They were trying to have another baby as of last year,” the source told Us. “There had been a lot of talk in Fergie and Josh’s household about expanding the family.”
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