Actor Josh Duhamel Announces His Engagement to Long-Term Partner Audra Mari

The actor best known for his roles in the Transformers franchise and Jupiter's Legacy on Netflix is engaged! Josh Duhamel announced his engagement to former Miss World America Audra Mari on Jan. 8, 2022. The pair have been dating since 2019 after Josh split from ex-wife Fergie, but now they're ready to tie the knot! Josh even proposed on Audra's 28th birthday, making the event even more special.

Read on for everything we know about their sweet engagement and how their relationship began.

After eight years of marriage, Josh's ex-wife Fergie filed for divorce in May 2019, two years after the pair had officially split in 2017. The former couple shares a son, Axl Jack, and they released a statement to People Magazine confirming their dedication to co-parenting.

"With absolute love and respect we decided to separate as a couple earlier this year," they said. "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."

In 2018, Josh revealed to Dax Shepard on an episode of Dax's Armchair Expert podcast that one of his focuses in a relationship was wanting more children. "I'm not 30 years old anymore. I'm 45. I want to have more kids in the next few years. So it's more about finding someone young enough to have kids ... I'm trying to find a girl that I can be with and have a family with."

In December 2019, Josh stepped out publicly with Audra to a series of holiday parties, confirming their relationship. At the time, a source to People, "They’ve known each other for quite some time and began dating seven or eight months ago. He’s really happy with her." The pair have been quietly in a relationship since that time, and now it looks like they're getting married!

In a sweet Instagram post, Josh revealed his proposal, which involved writing "Audra Diane Mari will you marry me?" in a note and putting the message in a bottle. When Audra discovered the bottle washed ashore, Josh proposed. Their friends and family members rushed to congratulate the lovebirds, including Fergie, who left a comment saying, "Congrats!!!💚💚💚💚💚💚"

Although there is no word on whether the pair plan to have children, it seems like Josh is looking to have more kids in the near future. Congratulations to the happy couple, and who knows what 2022 holds in store for them! Josh will also appear in the film Shotgun Wedding opposite Jennifer Lopez, which arrives in theaters on June 29, 2022.