Meet the celeb shaman who stole the heart of a Princess – 5 surprising facts

He wakes at sunrise, checks in with his spirit guides and starts the day with shamanic exercise and a medicinal mushroom drink – before reviewing his schedule in Gwyneth Paltrow’s kitchen. Welcome to the spiritual world of Shaman Durek, the man who stole the heart of Norway’s Princess Martha Louise. The new couple – who both confirmed their blossoming romance on their Instagram accounts this week – piqued the interest of royal fans, who are all dying to know more about the Princess’ handsome new man. The 43-year-old is described on his website as a “6th generation shaman who has devoted decades to study and practice in becoming a thought leader and spiritual enthusiast for people all over the world”. The American healer – who grew up in Hawaii and California and has African, Haitian, Russian and Norwegian heritage – is Martha’s first serious relationship since her 14-year marriage to author Ari Behn ended in divorce in 2016. Scroll down to find out more about the 47-year-old royal’s charismatic new love, who speaks Turkish, Hebrew and Italian as well as English.

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1. His beauty game is STRONG

During an interview with Marie Claire, Shaman Durek revealed that as he winds down for the day part of his routine is set aside for beauty treatments. He dry brushes his body and uses a FaceGym Pro device worth $555 to plump up his skin before applying moisturizer and spraying his face with rose water. He told the magazine: “Everyone jokes that I am the shaman who can tell you what the hottest beauty product is right now!"

2. His BFF is Gywneth Paltrow

The shaman’s famous pals include Selma Blair, Ricki Lake and Rosario Dawson, but his BFF is Gwyneth Paltrow. His Instagram account is full of snaps of him with the Hollywood star and husband Brad Falchuck – he is a frequent visitor to their home, and often pops over for breakfast. He even posed with Moses, Gwyneth’s son with Chris Martin, for a snap which he shared on the youngster’s birthday along with a sweet tribute. He wrote: "Happy Birthday Moses! You are my heart and soul and I love you and adore you. When we play together and meditate together, laugh and use our shamanic powers you are such a delight to be around. You are such a gentlemen and a very kind soul to everyone who is around you. The universe put in something special when creating you. You light up my spirit. Everytime we are together is a memorable moment.”

3. He loves country music – but could never attend a concert

You might expect him to love chillout tunes – but you’d be wrong. “I love listening to country music. It speaks from the heart and its true music. It’s about lives of the collective. To me, that’s an authentic reflection of what is real for the soul,” he told Thrive Global magazine. However, don’t expect to see him at a gig anytime soon. “One thing that is out of my comfort zone is going to concerts and being around massive amounts of people at one time,” he told Human Shift magazine, explaining that since he’s empathic, feeling the energy of so many people makes him feel claustrophobic. He added: “I wish I could go to a big country music concert and dance and sing with everyone in the crowd.”

4) He started his shamanic studies at age 11

It was his great grandmother who first told Durek’s father that he would one day have a son who would inherit the “family gifts”. But after stepping away from the family tradition and becoming a businesman, his dad didn’t want his son to have shamanistic training. He finally relented when his son was 11, saying that if he studied religion he would let him study shamanism too.

5. His initiation to shamanism began with a terrifying near-death experience

The healer – pictured sending Easter greetings with his girlfriend –  recounted the incredible story of his “real awakening” at age 27, when he was clinically dead for a number of minutes. “One morning, I woke up and there was a presence in the room. It asked me if I was ready. I said 'yes'. From what I remember, I fell to the floor and was gasping for air. Luckily I managed to crawl to the phone to call my friend to ask for help. He came quickly and found me on the ground, barely breathing, and he took me to the hospital in L.A,” he told Dust magazine. The shaman’s lungs had collapsed and his kidneys and liver failed but doctors were able to save him, though he was left paralyzed in a wheelchair. The visions he had while he was in a coma changed him forever, and over the next two years he healed his legs and was able to recover thanks to his shamanistic training. He was on dialysis for ten years until his sister donated a kidney. “Immediately I received this message telling me to go out into the world and put power back into people’s hands. So here I am,” he said.