Josh Duhamel may be best known to audiences for his successful acting career, but away from cameras, much of his life revolves around his wife, Audra Mari, and their growing family. The 53-year-old actor has recently returned to the spotlight thanks to the second season of Netflix’s romantic neo-Western drama Ransom Canyon, where he stars as ranch owner Staten Kirkland.

In the series, Duhamel’s character has a complicated romantic connection with concert pianist Quinn O’Grady, played by Minka Kelly. While viewers may be invested in Staten’s fictional love life, Duhamel’s relationship away from the screen has an interesting story of its own.

The actor is married to model and former beauty queen Audra Mari, who is 21 years younger than him. Despite their age difference, the couple have spoken warmly about their relationship and the connection they developed after initially spending years as friends.

Mari also has strong ties to Duhamel’s home state of North Dakota. Born and raised there, she established herself in the pageant world before pursuing modeling. She won the Miss North Dakota USA title in 2014 and later achieved another major milestone when she was crowned Miss World America in 2016.

Her modeling career has included work with recognizable brands and publications, including H&M and Ocean Drive magazine. However, it was social media rather than the entertainment or fashion industries that ultimately helped bring her and Duhamel closer together.

According to Duhamel, he and Mari initially connected through Instagram. Their conversations remained friendly for a considerable amount of time, partly because Duhamel was hesitant to consider pursuing a romantic relationship with someone significantly younger than himself.

During an appearance on the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, Duhamel explained that their friendship was genuinely platonic for years. He was aware of the large age difference and initially decided that Mari was simply too young for him to consider dating.

Nevertheless, the two continued exchanging direct messages and gradually discovered how much they had in common. One particularly important connection was their shared North Dakota background. Duhamel has often spoken about his attachment to his home state, and meeting someone else from the same part of the country gave the pair an immediate point of understanding.

Their relationship began changing after Duhamel invited Mari to a barbecue. At the time, he still viewed the invitation as a friendly gesture toward another North Dakota native. Because he rarely encountered people from his home state in his everyday life, he thought it would simply be enjoyable to spend time with someone who shared those roots.

Seeing Mari in person, however, changed his perspective.

Duhamel recalled being immediately struck by how beautiful she was when she arrived at the gathering. Their friendship subsequently developed into something more serious, and the two began dating.

The actor has also praised Mari for her maturity, joking that despite being considerably younger, she can sometimes be more mature than he is. He has described the relationship that developed between them as something extremely positive and beautiful.

After their romance became serious, Duhamel eventually decided to propose. In January 2022, he asked Mari to marry him during a romantic trip to Little Palm Island.

Interestingly, the actor did not arrive with every detail of his proposal carefully organized. Instead, inspiration apparently came to him on the morning he planned to ask the question.

Duhamel later explained in an interview with Mario Lopez and Kit Hoover that he suddenly came up with an idea involving a bottle. He approached the resort concierge and asked whether there were any empty bottles available. With help from the staff, he created a proposal designed to appear as though a message in a bottle had unexpectedly floated toward them.

The plan involved walking Mari down to a picturesque sandbar while the prepared bottle appeared nearby. The unusual and personal proposal reflected Duhamel’s preference for something intimate rather than an elaborate public spectacle.

Mari accepted, and the engagement marked a new chapter in their relationship. The couple married later in 2022, celebrating their wedding in North Dakota, the state that had played such an important role in bringing them together in the first place.

Family has since become an increasingly important part of their marriage.

Duhamel was already a father before beginning his relationship with Mari. He shares his eldest child, son Axl, with his former wife, singer Fergie. Duhamel and Fergie married in 2009, and Axl was born in 2013. Although the marriage eventually ended, Duhamel remained committed to his role as a father.

His family expanded again after his marriage to Mari. The couple welcomed their first child together, a son named Shepherd, making Duhamel a father for the second time.

The arrival of Shepherd represented an important moment for both parents and gave Axl a younger sibling. Duhamel has frequently indicated that fatherhood is one of the most meaningful aspects of his life, and his growing family has increasingly influenced how he spends his time away from Hollywood.

Duhamel and Mari later expanded their family once again with the arrival of their daughter, Rocca de Leon. With three children in his life, the actor now balances his demanding career with responsibilities as a husband and father.

His family lifestyle also reflects his longstanding connection to North Dakota and his preference for spending time away from the intensity of Hollywood. Although his career requires him to travel and work on major film and television productions, Duhamel has maintained a strong appreciation for a quieter and more private existence.

That contrast is particularly interesting given the characters he plays. In Ransom Canyon, Duhamel portrays Staten Kirkland, a rugged ranch owner navigating personal loss, family responsibilities and a complicated romance. The show combines romantic drama with the landscapes and traditions associated with ranch life, placing Duhamel in a setting that is quite different from typical Hollywood productions.

Away from the fictional world of the series, however, Duhamel’s priorities appear firmly centered on his real family.

His relationship with Mari developed gradually rather than beginning as an immediate romance. What started with social-media messages and a shared connection to North Dakota became a long friendship before either of them pursued something more serious. Duhamel’s initial concern about their age difference ultimately gave way to a relationship that he has described as deeply rewarding.

Their story also demonstrates how important their shared background has been to their bond. Both grew up in North Dakota, and their mutual appreciation for their roots helped establish common ground despite their different ages and professional experiences.

Mari, meanwhile, has built an identity beyond simply being Duhamel’s wife. Her accomplishments in pageantry and modeling began years before their marriage, including winning major beauty titles and working professionally as a model.

Together, the couple have created a family that includes Duhamel’s son from his previous marriage as well as the two younger children he shares with Mari.

As Duhamel continues appearing in major productions such as Ransom Canyon, audiences are likely to see plenty of him on screen. His private life, however, tells a different story from the complicated romances and dramatic conflicts associated with his television characters.

Behind the scenes, Duhamel is a husband and father of three who has increasingly embraced family life. From an unexpected friendship with Mari to a creative beach proposal, marriage and the arrival of two more children, his relationship has developed considerably over the years.

For Duhamel, the balance between Hollywood and home appears to be an important one. While acting continues to keep him in the public eye, his marriage to Mari and his relationships with his children remain central parts of the life he has built away from the cameras.