When he marries into royalty in two days time,it will crown a remarkable rise to the top for Shaman Durek - going from being arrested for failing to pay his bus fare to being part of one of Europe's most eminent royal families.
However, Durek Verrett,49,the American 'spiritual healer' - who counts Gwyneth Paltrow among his celebrity clients - has insisted that his relationship with Princess Martha Louise,the King of Norway's only daughter,hasn't taken him too far out of his comfort zone.
By Durek's own account,in a 2020 interview with Vanity Fair,he grew up in extreme wealth with domestic servants and private planes thanks to his successful architect father.
The trouble is,his own mother has refuted his version of a priveleged upbringing - and there are plenty of other questions raised about an undoubtedly colourful past,which saw him spend a year in jail as well as being arrested several times.
In 2002,Durek - who has previously spoken about being HIV positive - sensationally claims he died of renal failure and came back to life,cementing his path to being a shaman.
A decade later later,the spiritual healer - who flits between describing himself as a 'third and sixth generation shaman' - raised more than $20,000 for kidney transplant surgery,with his sister as his donor.
Princess Martha Louise and Ari Behn married in 2002 and have three children together Maud Angelica,Leah Isadora and Emma Tallulah
Following their wedding in 2002,the royal said the father of her three children - who made a name for himself as an author -said he didn't receive good reviews of his work.
She added: 'His mental health depended a lot on him getting criticism in the media.
'But I am not saying it was anyone's fault. It is always how you handle criticism. The press took self-criticism after he died,that they were perhaps a little harsh towards him,and that he only received criticism and was actually a very nice person.'
In June 2022,the newly-engaged couple appeared in a video together on Durek's Instagram account where the American spiritual guide - whose celebrity clients have included Gwyneth Paltrow,Nina Dobrev and James Van Der Beek - hit back at online trolling they've faced.
He said: 'One,they don't want to see a black man in the Royal Family because there's never been one in the history of the European royal family.
'Second,she's a female - it's different when a royal prince chooses a woman of colour because it's like,"oh he's a man,he can choose whoever he wants".
'But for a princess to choose a man of colour,has never been done in history. So it's really though for a lot of people to be able to handle that.'
© OfficialAffairs
