Hollywood actor Josh Duhamel didn’t let a pesky age gap get in the way of scoring his latest bride, model Audra Mari.
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In a recent interview on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, Duhamel shared that he and Mari didn’t pursue a romantic relationship for years, partly due to their age difference.
“It was truly platonic for years before that because, ‘Nah, she’s too young for me. I’m not even gonna go there,” Duhamel admitted.
However, just because there’s snow on the roof doesn’t mean there isn’t fire in the furnace. And Duhamel’s fire began to blaze for Mari.
After initially connecting on Instagram, the two discovered shared roots in North Dakota and bonded over their commonalities through lively conversations. You see, it had nothing to do with her being a beauty pageant contestant or anything like that.
“She’s from Fargo, I’m from Minot, which is like four hours away. I’d followed her because she’d had some success in pageants and things like that, so I always root for anybody who’s from North Dakota,” Duhamel told the podcast host Amanda Hirsch.
Josh Duhamel Recalls First Meeting His Future Wife: “Holy S—, This Girl is Beautiful”
Then the Transformers star took his shot at the nubile model by inviting her to a 2019 party… at his bachelor pad.
“I invited her to a barbecue, still thinking it was totally platonic,” he claimed on the podcast, managing not to wink as he said it. “Just as a friend from NoDak, they’re aren’t many people from there.”
The 52-year-old actor still seems struck by their first time hanging out.
“She did come and I saw her and I was like ‘Holy s—, this girl is beautiful,’” he recalled of his now 31-year-old second bride. “She’s too young, I can’t do it, but she’s more mature than I am,” he added. “That’s really how we started dating, and it’s been a beautiful thing.”
Duhamel and Mari exchanged vows on September 10, 2022. Their love story reached a new milestone in January 2024 with the arrival of their first son, Shepherd.
Duhamel has a son, Axl Jack Duhamel, with his ex-wife Fergie, 50. They were married from 2009 to 2019 and welcomed Axl in 2013, according to PEOPLE.
However, it was Audra who he lavished with praise this past Mother’s Day.
“Audra, I am so lucky to have you in my life,” the actor captioned a series of snaps of them and their son on Instagram. “Thank you for being such an incredible mother to our little dinkernugget, Shepherd. And thank you for loving Axl like he is your own.”
“We are all so grateful for you,” Duhamel added. “We adore you. I love you, babe.”