Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Christian Petersen; (Left Inset): (Photo by Lester Cohen; (Right Inset): Photo by Jason Kempin
Back in 2018, during a preview of the singer’s Sunday TODAY with Willie Geist, the God’s Country singer recalled he and Stefani didn’t believe their romance would survive the test of time. Instead, initially, they thought it was strictly a “rebound” from their past.
Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Norm Hall
Shelton told Geist, “When I was going through my divorce, I hit rock bottom, just like anybody does when they go through something that devastating. It’s a miracle that I met somebody that was going through the same exact thing that I was at the exact same moment in time,” referring to her now-wife Stefani’s divorce.
As fate would have it, Shelton, who was married to Miranda Lambert for four years, finalized their divorce in 2015 and announced their breakup hours later, with a source claiming, “There are no hard feelings. They want to move on as friends, and they are doing just that,” per US Weekly.
Meanwhile, Gavin Rossdale and Stefani were also splitting up in 2015 after nearly 13 years of marriage. The ex-couple were also parents to three sons- now 17-year-old Kingston, 15-year-old Zuma and 9-year-old Apollo. Apparently, it was reported Rossdale cheated on her with their children’s nanny which she described as her “life fell apart.”
Because the wounds were still fresh for both, Shelton said, “If Gwen and I were being honest right now, talking about this, I think in the back of our minds we both kind of thought, ‘This is a rebound deal.’” The stars aligned and they first met on the sets of The Voice, instantly clicked, and began dating not long after their divorces.
But, they didn’t expect to come this far because, as the 47-year-old narrated, were “both coming out of a pretty low spot in our lives and we’re kind of clinging to each other to get through this.” However, he acknowledged that here they are, and “every day that goes by it just feels like a stronger bond between the two of us and it constantly feels like it’s going to the next level.”
Although they proved that love can power through any storm, their romance was equally unexpected for their friends. Shelton admitted, “When we first started seeing each other, friends of mine would be like, ‘What the hell is that all about?’” per PEOPLE. “But if you ever had a chance to be around us together, it does make sense. People do like us together.”
Meanwhile, the Hollaback Girl echoed her husband’s sentiments and gushed about how the country singer “changed her life.” Surprised by the universe’s plan, Stefani admitted she “didn’t see [Shelton] coming,” explaining, “This was just a big old ‘What?’ It was an amazing gift to experience love like that for the first time,” per Page Six.
“When I [started dating] Blake, that’s when I felt home, like, ‘Oh, this is where I’m supposed to be, with this guy,” the 54-year-old said with a full heart.