Getty Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton attend the 62nd Annual GRAMMY Awards at STAPLES Center on January 26, 2020 in Los Angeles, California.
Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani are six years apart. Stefani is six years older than her beau. He is 44, and she is 50.
They started their relationship in 2015 after bonding through their painful divorces. It started as a friendship that blossomed into romance as they supported each other, Shelton told Billboard in 2016.
Shelton and Stefani are both returning as coaches on Season 19 of The Voice. The season premieres on NBC Monday, October 19, 2020 at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
Here’s what you need to know:
Shelton Has Said He’s Happy to Serve As a Father Figure to Stefani’s Children
While he’s not quite a stepdad yet, Shelton told TODAY in 2018 that Stefani’s kids gave him an unexpected joy in his life.
“I never saw that coming, but it’s so fun,” he said.
Stefani had three sons with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale. Kingston is 14, Zuma is 12, and Apollo is 6. Shelton does not have children of his own.
“At this point in my life, I’d kind of put that (aside), like, ‘I guess that’s not meant to be,'” he told TODAY. “And then all of the sudden it happens, one way or another.”
Shelton & Stefani Plan to Marry After the Coronavirus Pandemic
Shelton and Stefani are planning to get married, but not until after the coronavirus pandemic, a source told Us Weekly in June, 2020. They want to have a marriage surrounded by family and friends.
“COVID-19 has turned their world upside down, as it has with so many families,” the source said. “Gwen knows she is blessed and wants to have the wedding as soon as social distancing guidelines are lifted.”
Stefani had been holding off on marriage to Shelton as she waited for formal annulment of her marriage with Rossdale from the Catholic Church. Religion was important to her, she told Us Weekly in 2019. But the pandemic changed her opinions as she wondered how long she could be waiting. She decided she was ready to move ahead with Shelton, the source said.
“Gwen wants to have a ceremony and reception with their family and friends. She didn’t wait this long to get married with family watching on Zoom,” the source said. “It has made her realize that waiting for the annulment at this point is just futile because it could take years for the church tribunal to issue the decision.”
Their relationship started as they were both going through divorces, Shelton told Billboard in 2016. After Stefani learned about his divorce, she asked if they could talk alone and revealed she was going through similar circumstances. Stefani learned Shelton was going through a divorce with Miranda Lambert, and confided she was also going through a painful divorce with Rossdale.
“That’s kind of how our friendship and bond started, that day. It went from that to checking in on each other once a week through email — ‘This s*** happened to me, what happened to you?’ — to maybe three times a week, then every day to, ‘Hey, here’s my phone number if you ever want to text,'” Shelton said. “Next thing I know, I wake up and she’s all I care about, and I’m wondering if she feels the same about me.”
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