FERGIE has opened up about the stripper scandal which rocked her marriage to Josh Duhamel in 2009, admitting she found the allegations "difficult" to deal with.

Exotic dancer Nicole Forrester claimed she had sex with the Transformers star behind Fergie's back, but Duhamel denied the story and the couple went on to renew its wedding vows the following January (10).

The Black Eyed Peas frontwoman admits the drama, which came less than a year after the stars married, was tough to handle, but she is adamant their bond is stronger as a result.

Speaking about the scandal on talk show Oprah's Next Chapter, which airs on Sunday (21Oct12), Fergie insists, "It was difficult."

She adds, "When you go through difficult times it really makes you stronger as a unit. As a partnership. It does for us anyways. Our love today is a deeper love.

"We're strong today because of anything difficult that's happened with us. We deal with it. We communicate. Communicating's the most important thing."