Why Gwen Stefani Almost Canceled Blake Shelton’s Romance From the Start

Gwen Stefani is married to Blake Shelton now, but there was a time when she didn’t think their relationship would take off.

The No Doubt singer, 55, admitted she was initially hesitant to start a romance with Shelton, 48, when they first connected on the set of The voice in 2015.

“We had just met and it was chaos. Both of our lives were completely turned upside down, everywhere. Nothing could save us at this point. » Stefani said People in an interview published Monday, November 25. “There was a moment where I was like, ‘I can’t even talk to you.’ It’s crazy. I have enough problems already. This doesn’t happen anymore. We’re not going to text or anything.’

At the time, Stefani had recently split from Gavin Rossdalewhom she married in 2002. The former couple share sons Kingston, 18, Zuma, 16, and Apollo, 10.

Shelton, meanwhile, had just announced his divorce from Miranda Lambert. The two country superstars married in 2011 after five years together.

Despite the upheaval in their personal lives, Shelton wasn’t deterred by Stefani’s hesitation – and ultimately convinced her to use music.

“I think he really wanted to impress me, because he doesn’t write as many songs as he used to,” Stefani recalls. “And I love writing songs. That’s it for me. If I want to feel like I have purpose or value or anything, it’s about writing a song. This is where I find my fulfillment.

The duo then began working on their first duet, “Go Ahead and Break My Heart”, which they debuted on. The voice in May 2016. They have since collaborated on several other songs, including ‘Purple Iris’, which appears on Stefani’s latest album, Bunch.

In April, Stefani revealed that she wrote “Purple Irises” while facing doubts about her standing with Shelton.

“I’ve had those moments where you wonder, ‘Oh, my God, am I getting old? Am I cute?’ reminded to Nylon. “In my own relationship, even though I know the truth about what’s happening today, you still create drama in your mind about your insecurities and what could happen. I was in this phase of the relationship with Blake and I was becoming paranoid.

The phrase “purple irises” was something she sent to herself because she thought it would make good words. She and Shelton, who married in 2021, had discovered the flowers growing on Shelton’s Oklahoma ranch, and they became a reminder for Stefani to stop worrying so much.

“The truth is I’m in love with my best friend, and all this I’m thinking about in my brain, that’s all it is, I’m overthinking,” she explained.