The INSIDER Summary:
- Fergie said that she and ex-Josh Duhamel still love each other, but they split after 13 years because they don't love each other romantically anymore.
- She said they are committed to co-parenting their son and that they still consider each other family.
- This is a common reason for a split — especially when a couple has children.
Fergie and Josh Duhamel's breakup after 13 years together was a surprise to most fans. But the reason for their breakup isn't a huge surprise; in fact, it's all too common.
Fergie revealed to Entertainment Tonight that she and Duhamel still love each other as friends and co-parents to their 4-year-old son Axl, but that the romance just isn't there anymore.
"We're great friends, Josh and I, there's so much love that we have for each other,"she told ET. "We really like each other, we have fun with each other. We're just not a romantic couple anymore."
The former Black Eyed Peas singer added that she and Duhamel still consider each other family, and that their families are still blended.
"But we are still Axl's parents through and through, and our families — each other's families, the cousins, my nieces and nephews — it's all the same. So that's the only thing that's changed," she told ET.
Fergie said that the most important thing in their lives is the love for their family and for their son.
"It's just been all love in our family," she told ET. "Our families are families together and that cannot change."
It sounds like Fergie and Duhamel have a good handle on their co-parenting, and that the romantic aspect of their relationship simply fizzled out, which is common for many couples. For many, keeping the romance alive takes a back seat to other responsibilities, especially when a couple is made up of two people with booming careers, and they have a child together.
In fact, researchers found that couples who have children report a decline in relationship satisfaction nearly twice as steep than couples who don't have children.
And although no one can say what would have helped Duhamel and Fergie rekindle their romantic spark — or if they even could — when INSIDER spoke with real couples about how they keep the spark alive, counselor Renée Jones said that she relays one piece of important advice to her couples.
"As a counselor, I tell my clients that one bit of fuel for that fire is when you wake up in the morning, look over at your partner and choose to love them that day no matter what," Jones said.
Sometimes you can't force feelings, and the spark can just slip away no matter how hard you try. But if you and your partner are committed to keeping romance alive, you just may stand a fighting chance.
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