Princess Martha Louise and boyfriend Shaman Durek reveal they have received DEATH THREATS
Princess Martha Louise of Norway and her long-distance boyfriend, shaman Durek Verrett, spoke about how their interracial relationship sparked death threats.
The couple, who have been dating since 2019, reflected on their instant spiritual connection and the backlash surrounding their romance during Friday’s episode of the Tamron Hall Show, which marked their first joint interview on American television.
“When I first met Shaman Durek, it was like reuniting with an old friend,” Martha Louise said of the Los Angeles-based spiritual guide and healer, whose celebrities include Gwyneth Paltrow, Nina Dobrev and James Van Der Beek.
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Candid: Princess Martha Louise of Norway and boyfriend Shaman Durek Verrett opened up about their interracial relationship on the Tamron Hall Show on Friday
True love: Martha Louise reflected on their instant spiritual connection, saying meeting Durek was “like finding an old friend”
The royal told the host their bond was what helped them get through their months-long separation during the COVID-19 pandemic.
‘AAs soon as we met we spent a lot of time on the phone because we are across the Atlantic Ocean and also when I was back in LA we spent some time together here in New York, England and it was never enough time, ”she explained.
“It was always like we were catching up, you know, like old friends catching up and we never got to the point where we’ve updated until now. So we had so much to say to each other, so much to go through.
“And I think it also helped us get through the COVID situation where we weren’t allowed to fly towards each other and see each other,” she added.
The couple have confirmed that they have received harsh criticism and even death threats because of their interracial relationship.
Major milestone: This was the couple’s first joint appearance on U.S. television since they started dating in 2019
“You know, going into his life being a dark skinned person, a person who represents the melancholy complexion, as a shaman, a lot of people don’t like the idea and a lot of messages that I would get from people around. the world would be, they didn’t want us together and it came from both sides, ”said Durek, who is of Norwegian, Indian and Haitian descent.
The shaman admitted that the public outcry was so difficult that Martha Louise told him he would have to leave her if it was too much for him.
“She said to me, ‘If you don’t want to be in there, we can go. I’m fine. It’s the life of a royal. Everyone that comes into my life and my family, that’s what they go through, “and I looked her in the eye and she was crying and I said,” I’ll walk through the fire with you. I will cross the ice with you. I will go through whatever is thrown at us because our love can resist anything, “he recalls.
The two use their heartwarming love affair to educate others and fight racism around the world.
Difficult to deal with: Martha Louise and Durek confirmed they had received harsh criticism and even death threats because of their interracial relationship
Faith: Durek admitted that the public outcry was so difficult that Martha Louise told him he would have to leave her if it was too much. However, he insisted that their love “can withstand anything”
“It’s about educating people and helping people understand race relations and how we make it clear that fear is the big problem of why racism and all these things keep going and we have to get over those things so that we can evolve as a species, ”Durek mentioned.
Earlier this year, Martha Louise revealed she was moving in California to be closer to her boyfriend for two years. However, she said they are still living apart at the moment.
“We built our love on the dissident, on friendship,” she said.
Martha Louise, the only and eldest daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, told the Norwegian newspaper VG in April that she was planning to bring her children – Maud Angelica, 18, Leah Isadora, 16, and Emma Tallulah, 13 – with her to the United States
Long-distance love: Martha Louise and Durek have been separated for months due to COVID-19 pandemic
Claims to fame: Martha Louise is the only daughter and eldest daughter of King Harald V and Queen Sonja of Norway, while Durek is a Los Angeles-based spiritual guide and healer whose celebrities include Gwyneth Paltrow (right )
Separated: Earlier this year, Martha Louise revealed plans to move to California with her three children to be closer to him, but she said they are still living apart for the time being
“Right now there is COVID and it’s hard to plan, but we plan to move forward with the times,” she said. “The children will join me of course.
“We will keep the house in Lommedalen anyway,” she added. “We have to have a house in Norway. There will still be a lot of us here. We cannot completely leave beautiful Norway.
Durek had planned to propose to Martha Louise in Hawaii last year, but due to the pandemic she went months without seeing him and their engagement plans were put on hold.
“He was supposed to come, but he couldn’t travel here, which totally crushed me. I fell further into a depression, which I just couldn’t cope with, ”she said.
In a candid interview with Vanity Fair last year, Martha Louise revealed her turmoil over the death of her ex-husband Ari Behn, who committed suicide on Christmas Day 2019 at the age of 47.
Loss: Martha Louise’s ex-husband Ari Behn (pictured in 2015) committed suicide on Christmas Day in 2019 at the age of 47
Tough: “I was so lucky to have the support of Durek, my family and friends all around us, but it’s a void,” she said of the loss in an interview with Vanity Fair last year
Discussing the traumatic day, Martha Louise revealed that they returned home from the Christmas morning church service on the News.
“They were saying it was my fault and Durek’s fault – that if it hadn’t been for Durek it wouldn’t have happened,” she said, noting that she and her ex were divorced. for three years at that time.
Ari, a well-known writer, had a new girlfriend at the time and approved of Durek when they met, according to the royal.
“I was so lucky to have the support of Durek, my family and friends all around us, but it’s a void,” she said. “Suddenly I was a single parent, which is a very different horse, and of course the heartache, the anger, the self-pity, the sadness of never seeing him again… it’s devastating.”
Martha Louise also added that her relationship with Derek made her realize how racist Norwegians can be.
“Before meeting him, I never thought there was racism in Norway, because we are all an open and happy family,” she explained. “But basically there aren’t a lot of people of color in Norway, so this was all a surprise to me.”