After Years Coaching On The Voice Together, Blake & Gwen Are Working Solo
Country music star Blake Shelton and ska-pop songstress Gwen Stefani first met in 2014, when the latter musician joined the coaching cast of The Voice. Gwen later admitted that she hadn't been familiar with the crooner's work up until that point, but "I did my homework, and I could see that he was an amazing songwriter, and then I could see everybody falling in love with him," she said. The pair soon started dating, and eventually tied the knot in 2021.
Both Voice coaches came with weighty past histories—he had famously been married to fellow country superstar Miranda Lambert (who has been facing her own public scrutiny this week) until 2015, and she had been married to Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale until the same year, sharing 3 children with him during their relationship: Kingston, 15, Zuma, 14, and Apollo, 9. Of course, there was much speculation at the time that both marriages had ended due to Blake and Gwen falling in love on the Voice set.
The tuneful twosome spent 7 years working together on The Voice, but Blake left the show in the spring after 23 seasons to pursue other projects, including his USA Network series Barmageddon, which was just renewed for a second season in March. According to sources, this sudden distance may have created a few cracks in the Stefani-Shelton relationship that have only deepened as time has gone on.
Insider Says: 'Times Are Tough For Gwen And Blake'
With Blake doing his own thing and Gwen still working on music and The Voice, the pair have been spending less time together than ever—and that may be the root of the problem. "Times are tough for Gwen and Blake," a source told In Touch. "They’re spending a lot of time apart and the relationship is suffering. Friends are worried that if they don’t address their problems before they spiral out of control, divorce might be in the cards for them."
The insider added, "They used to do everything together. Some might even say they were together too much...they’re both distracted by their work. Anyone can see they’re having issues." The source also claims that now that they don't share a common workplace, they've been finding they have very little in common. "There isn't that much for them to talk about," the source revealed. "She can put on cowboy boots and sing a country duet with Blake, but Gwen doesn’t really fit in that whole country lifestyle. When she’s [at their ranch in Oklahoma], she misses L.A. and all its conveniences."
And the "I Thought There Was Time" singer seems to feel the opposite: "Blake’s not really comfortable living in the big city with all the traffic, noise and crowds," the source said, referring to Gwen's preferred home of L.A. and their shared $13 million Encino mansion. Apparently, Gwen feels the tension: "She feels the change in the relationship more than Blake does. She’s confided to pals that it’s killing her to see them drifting apart like this, but she doesn’t know what to do. When they first got together, their chemistry was through the roof. Gwen wants them to get their old spark back, but it takes two to tango and Blake seems to be too busy to notice."
The insider wrapped up the spill sesh with a warning. "There’s growing concern that Gwen and Blake need to fix these issues now if they’re going to save their marriage and make things work for the long term," they said. "Obviously there’s still a whole lot of love there — and nobody wants to see them divorced. Hopefully, it won’t come to that."