Fergie Reveals ‘It Was Getting a Little Weird’ Pretending to Still Be With Josh Duhamel Before Going Public With Split

Fergie attends the Daily Front Row’s 3rd Annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards in West Hollywood, Calif., on April 2, 2017. (Photo: Getty Images)
Fergie attends the Daily Front Row’s 3rd Annual Fashion Los Angeles Awards in West Hollywood, Calif., on April 2, 2017. (Photo: Getty Images)

Fergie can breathe a sigh of relief now that she can focus on her music and not have to worry about keeping her split from husband Josh Duhamel a secret.

“Honestly, it was just getting a little weird for us with all the romantic questions,” the singer, 42, told PEOPLE exclusively on Tuesday about having to promote her upcoming album, Double Dutchess, while her personal life has been dominating the headlines.

“We’re great friends, we love each other so much, and it just got to the point where it was getting a little weird,” she continued, adding, “there’s no perfect time so we just decided to do it.”

As for whether the pair, who have a 4-year-old son Axl, timed the announcement of their separation so that she could focus more on promoting the album, Fergie continued to stress the weirdness of the situation.

“I don’t know, you can ask him, but it was just getting a little weird to laugh through the first date questions,” she said, laughing.

Fergie performs on the second day of the Rock in Rio 2017 music festival, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sept. 16. (Photo: Luiz Souza/NurPhoto)
Fergie performs on the second day of the Rock in Rio 2017 music festival, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Sept. 16. (Photo: Luiz Souza/NurPhoto)

One thing that is not weird is co-parenting their little boy, with singer telling PEOPLE it is “so great.”

“We just wanted to get adjusted in private. [And Axl’s school has helped as] we have a co-op so Josh and I would walk there several times before the school season. So I get to learn from the teachers and see how he reacts in a group of friends that he knows. And I get to help out and serve them snacks and clean the dishes. We have fun, we get down and dirty and read the stories with our costumes. You get down in the sand and get dirty — I love it. I love that part of it all.

PEOPLE exclusively confirmed last week that Fergie and Duhamel, 44, are going their separate ways after eight years of marriage.

Josh Duhamel and Fergie attend the WildAid 2015 in November 2015. (Photo: JB Lacroix/WireImage)
Josh Duhamel and Fergie attend the WildAid 2015 in November 2015. (Photo: JB Lacroix/WireImage)

“With absolute love and respect we decided to separate as a couple earlier this year,” they said in a joint statement. “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.”

While the pair’s split came as a shock to many, some who know them best said they had been traveling down different paths for a while.

“They have been leading separate lives for a long time,” a music insider saidof Fergie and Duhamel in PEOPLE’s latest issue. “She wants to be out on the road doing her thing, while he is more chill. They clashed for a long time before they did anything about it.”

A separate source told PEOPLE that the couple’s differences were “a factor” in their split. “They come from totally different backgrounds and they wanted different things,” said the insider. “A big factor is how different Fergie and Josh are. In the beginning, it was what attracted them to each other and made them so fun to be around.”

Fergie’s last solo album, The Dutchess, hit shelves in 2006.
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