Josh Duhamel 'reliving' his youth in Minnesota cabin for his kids’ benefit

Josh Duhamel is happy to be raising his kids closer to his roots than out in Hollywood.

The 52-year-old actor - who has Axl, 12, with ex-wife Fergie, and Shepherd, 20 months, with his current wife, Audra Mari, revealed that he was eager to ensure this his children grew up away from the bright lights of Los Angeles.

"You know, 16, 17, years ago, when I built this place, it was weirdly me almost reliving my youth, in a way. Because I grew up out in the woods in North Dakota, and for me to now be able to pass that on to my kids out there is great,” he told E! News.

And while Duhamel says Los Angeles is “fantastic,” he thinks his kids will benefit from growing up in in a different setting.

"It's also nice to get them out in the woods and get dirty and learn a few things that I learned growing up."

Earlier this month, the “London Calling” star told our Courtney Tezeno he initially was ready to leave his small town origins.

“I grew up in North Dakota all the way up until I was 22 years old and couldn't wait to get out of there because I'd gone to high school, college,” he said. “I just couldn't wait to go out into the world and explore.”

He explained that while he’s grateful to have “seen places in the world that” he could only imagine, he had a revelation that his small town keeps him “grounded.”

“I didn't think I would ever want to go back. I was like, maybe when I'm in my late 70s, I'll go back,” he said. “But something happened the last couple of years where I really started to appreciate what that state and what the people there meant to me. They've kept me grounded throughout. I've got a great group of friends. I've got a great family.”