Gwen Stefani Nearly Shut Down Her Blake Shelton Romance Before It Began

Gwen Stefani's tragic life story got a new chapter during the No Doubt singer's 2016 divorce from ex-husband Gavin Rossdale, who famously cheated on her with the family's nanny. But, it was during this tumultuous time that Stefani first crossed paths with now-husband Blake Shelton, whom she almost missed out on a relationship with because the singer didn't feel like the timing was right. "We had just met, and it was chaos. Both of our lives were in complete turmoil, all over the ground. Nothing could save us at that point," Stefani recounted to People in November 2024. While she and Rossdale were in the midst of ironing out their divorce settlement that same year, Shelton was navigating the aftermath of his own 2015 divorce from fellow country star Miranda Lambert. 

Stefani, seemingly overwhelmed by the state of her life at the time, admitted, "There was a point where I was like, 'I can't even talk to you,'" referring to Shelton. Fortunately, he wasn't going to let the "Hollaback Girl" hitmaker push him away without making a solid effort. Shelton worked hard to find a way to bring him and Stefani together and the rest is history — and thankfully so. In a separate interview with People, also conducted in November 2024, Stefani reflected on how the "Voice" judge coming into her life was such an incredible blessing. Feeling understandably defeated following her devastating, and very public, split from Rossdale, she explained, "I had to figure out how I was going to move forward and make a new dream, and God putting Blake in my life was just that miracle."

While it may seem perfect from the outside, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton's marriage has shown signs of being on the rocks, which has naturally resulted in divorce rumors swirling. "Times are tough for Gwen and Blake," an insider divulged to InTouch Weekly in July 2023. "They're spending a lot of time apart, and the relationship is suffering," they continued, adding ominously, "Divorce might be in the cards for them." That, along with comments about their reportedly strained working relationship when both served as judges on "The Voice," further fanned the flames that the celebrity couple's relationship was in danger. A source even told Radar Online that their on-air camaraderie was fake, clarifying, "They are not as loving towards each other behind the scenes." 

The insider dished, "Gwen often looks irritated by him backstage and she is not constantly smiling at Blake like she is when they are taping." The No Doubt frontwoman attempted to clear things up when she spoke to Nylon in April 2024. As Stefani suggested, stories about their impending divorce were nothing but noise that she and Shelton weren't paying attention to. "When you're in love and have truly aligned values, nobody can get to us. You can say whatever you want to say about our relationship — I mean, a week ago we were getting divorced again or something," the "What You Waiting For?" hitmaker reasoned, noting, "It's just lies. The truth is the truth, and we know what that is."