Relationships are hard โ especially when youโre in the limelight being judged for everything you do.
Gwen Stefani is living a life she never imagined, one that mirrors her parentsโ.
โIโd see my mom gardening and my dad cutting trees, and Iโd think, โIโm never having a tree at my house,โโ she reminisces about her younger days.
But now, with husband Blake Shelton, she finds joy in the simple, rustic life near Tishomingo, Oklahoma, surrounded by sunflowers, zinnias, and even corn plots.
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โI just had the most incredible dahlias ever,โ Stefani, 53, shares with a glow, labeling herself a โgarden flower nerdโ after her PEOPLE cover shoot.
โWhen we get to Oklahoma, weโre constantly workingโitโs a different kind of work, probably what my mom was doing back in the day, and now I get it!โ
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Stefani, who married Shelton in 2021, is still in awe of the unexpected, un-Hollywood twist her life has taken.
โI didnโt see any of this coming with Blake. It was an amazing gift to experience love like that for the first time,โ she reflects on falling for the country superstar after meeting him in 2014 on the set of The Voice.
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โHeโs changed my lifeโฆ when I [started dating] Blake, thatโs when I felt home, like, โOh, this is where Iโm supposed to be, with this guy.โ
Shelton, a loving stepdad, has introduced Stefani and her boys to a world far removed from the Hollywood spotlight, filled with adventure and the beauty of nature.
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โI am not really a dirt person, a bug person, I donโt like that much humidity,โ Stefani jokes about life in Oklahoma.
โBut itโs so beautiful, and you kind of feel like youโre going into this vortex. Natureโand Godโis all right there.โ
This newfound peace has reignited her passion for music and creativity.
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Stefani, who hustled through her 20s and 30s in the music industry, feels protective of her younger self.
โI took Kingston on a world tour [when he was 9 months old]. Thatโs when things got really hard for me emotionally,โ she recalls.
She powered through those times with a goal to be there for her kids when they reached their teenage years.
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Sheltonโs decision to leave The Voice after 23 seasons was โa huge family choice,โ Stefani reveals.
โI am happy for him because he has space to do all these other hobbies and things he wants to do.โ
When offered a coach chair on the show, Stefani felt uncertain but eventually found joy in coaching the gifted participants.
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Stefani is also channeling her experiences into new music and her makeup line GXVE, launched in March 2022.
โIโm never going to write anything thatโs not just completely reflective of whatโs going on in my life,โ she declares.
She sees makeup as a means to help people of all ages feel confident and creative, especially those who have experienced hardships like her.
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Despite her fulfilling life, Stefani admits that it can still feel โchaotic.โ
โItโs literally schedule, schedule, schedule. [But] there is a balance,โ she says.
โFor me, the only way that Iโve gotten this far is with my spiritual faith and being able to take time out to pray. You see the miracles, and thatโs inspiration and fuel to keep it going.โ
Hear Gwen talk more about her relationship with Blake, along with family in the video below.
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