NICOLE FORRESTER has stepped away from the pole to talk with "Inside Edition."

Nicole, the stripper who claims she had sex with Fergie's husband, Josh Duhamel, told "Inside Edition" that she met Josh when he showed up at the Atlanta club where she dances.

"I was like, 'You're absolutely gorgeous,' " Nicole said, although strippers say that to any guy waving a wad of bills.

"You're pretty hot yourself,' " Josh replied (according to Nicole).

She told "Inside Edition" she gave Josh a lap dance and he asked for her phone number, reportedly saying, "I'm in town for a couple months. And I'd like to hang out."

That's usually when guys who don't look like Josh get thrown out by the bouncer.

Nicole said Josh texted her a few days later, thankfully with no photos of him hanging out.

She says he told her to come to his suite at the St. Regis Hotel.

"He offered me a drink," she said. "He was definitely intoxicated . . . We started having sex."

As for Josh being Fergie's husband, Nicole said she had no idea - at first.

Josh says Nicole's tale is "absolutely ridiculous" but she says the proof is in the 20-25 racy messages they exchanged.

Nicole's theory: "Men have different tastes, and we know men cheat, don't they?"

No, not all men. But letting a hot stripper grind against you while your wife is in another city is probably not the best recipe for staying faithful.

Lawsuit? No Doubt

No Doubt has sued Activision over a feature in the new "Band Hero" videogame that allows players to control virtual band members and have them sing other artists' songs.

The suit claims a feature allows players to have Gwen Stefani perform suggestive lyrics from the Rolling Stones' hit "Honky Tonk Women." The suit also notes a virtual version of bassist Tony Kanal can be made to sing his band's hit "Just a Girl," but with Gwen's voice.

The game, an offshoot of Activision's popular "Guitar Hero" series, went on sale Tuesday.

Activision said in a statement that it engaged in extensive negotiations with No Doubt's management and have a valid written agreement for their participation in "Band Hero."

No Doubt's suit states the band objected to the "Character Manipulation Feature" in "Band Hero," but Activision refused to change the game.

The feature turns the band "into a virtual karaoke circus act," the lawsuit claims.