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Josh Duhamel: 2009 Stripper Scandal Was Actually a Blessing

1351102162_fergie josh duhamel article
Singer Fergie (L) and actor Josh Duhamel attend ELLE and Sundance Channel's "All on the Line with Joe Zee" celebration presented by Henri Bendel at Soho House on September 19, 2012 in West Hollywood, California.

Josh Duhamel believes in silver linings.

The actor's wife of three years, Fergie, appeared on the Oct. 21 episode of Oprah's Next Chapter, where she was grilled about his reported affair with Atlanta stripper Nicole Forrester in 2009.

"When you go through difficult times, it really makes you stronger as a unit, as a partnership. It does for us, anyway. Our love today is a deeper love," the 37-year-old Black Eyed Peas singer insisted. "We're stronger today definitely because of anything difficult that's happened with us. We deal with it, we communicate. Communicating's the most important thing."

Related: PHOTOS: Fergie and Josh Duhamel's wedding album

Duhamel, 39, said he feels the same way. "I'm actually happy that all that happened, because we wouldn't be as strong as we are now," he told host Oprah Winfrey. "As much anger as I carried about it before, I'm actually thankful that it did happen, because in a lot of ways, it made me straighten my ass out."

Related: PHOTOS: How Fergie's body has changed

The Safe Haven actor has adamantly denied cheating on his wife, though he did admit to visiting an Atlanta strip club while in town to shoot the movie Life as We Know It. Forrester later apologized for first discussing their alleged affair in the National Enquirer.

During Oprah's Next Chapter, Duhamel explained why he knew Fergie was The One. "We grew up in very similar ways, you know? My mother was a teacher. Both of her parents were teachers. We both had to work for what we got. We're both Catholic. There were a lot of things that were really compatible between us. But at the end of the day, she's just an amazing girl."

Related: VIDEO: See Josh Duhamel in his tighty whities

Winfrey also asked Duhamel and his wife when they plan to start a family. Though the actor hoped to have five children, Fergie was able to change his mind. "We negotiated that early on," the Grammy winner said. "Two is our number."

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