Gwen Stefani Has One Major Regret From Her Life Before Blake Shelton
Before Blake Shelton came into Gwen Stefani's life, she seemed happy in her marriage to Gavin Rossdale. The "Hollaback Girl" hitmaker's paths crossed with Rossdale when she was the opening act for his band, Bush, in 1995. He popped the question in 2002, and the couple tied the knot a few months later. Rossdale and Stefani welcomed three kids in their nearly 13-year-long marriage before abruptly splitting up in August 2015.
A source went on to tell E! News that Rossdale and Stefani divorced because he had cheated on her with one of their kids' former nannies. They also claimed that the former "The Voice" coach had learned of her husband's infidelity by reading inappropriate text messages between him and his mistress. According to the insider, the former employee had come clean about the affair when Stefani questioned her about it. However, Rossdale vehemently denied infidelity and wrote off their exchanges as harmless flirting.
Neither Rossdale nor Stefani addressed the allegations publicly. Although, when "The Sweet Escape" singer appeared on "The Tommy Show" in 2020, she admitted that she regretted not getting out of their marriage sooner. The Grammy winner also explained how their divorce had changed her perspective on her past music, "I feel like I go back and listen to a lot of that stuff, and I'm, like, I get sick," she continued. "You look at the songs and go, 'That was a red flag.'" (via People). Ultimately, that wasn't Stefani's only major regret about her life before Shelton.
Gwen Stefani wished she had spent more time with her family
When Gwen Stefani spoke to Nylon in 2024, she admitted she dealt with tremendous mom guilt for prioritizing her career with No Doubt over her family life. The singer-songwriter reflected on her decisions from the time, "I look at it now and think, 'God, what was I doing trying to please everybody?' Because really, I should have just been with my family." The "Rich Girl" songstress had similar sentiments to share when she appeared on the "The Skinny Confidential Him & Her Podcast."
Stefani started by explaining that she was back in the studio shortly after the birth of her second child, Zuma Rossdale. However, she couldn't focus on her work because she felt terrible about not spending quality time with her son. "I would feel so guilty and selfish. I would go there and like knock my head against the wall, and no song would come," she explained. She also admitted that her first pregnancy brought loads of tears because she had to deal with its general symptoms and the stresses of establishing a solo career.
Even when Stefani spoke on "The First One" podcast in 2021, she shared that she felt guilty for attending a virtual business meeting during her downtime because she believed she should've prioritized her kids instead. However, she found being mentally present with them tough because of work-related stresses. Ultimately, Stefani felt it was a lose-lose situation because she couldn't give her absolute best to either of her priorities.
Blake Shelton also doesn't want any regrets when it comes to fatherhood
Like many working moms, Gwen Stefani still understandably struggles to find balance in her life, but she cherishes every moment she spends with her little ones. When the "What You Waiting For?" songstress spoke to "Good Morning America" in 2018, she admitted that she didn't long to return to touring because the time away from the road was spent relaxing with her three boys.
Even her husband, Blake Shelton, felt equally happy devoting his time to his stepkids because of his deep bond with them. In a 2022 interview with People, the "God's Country" hitmaker shared that his stepsons had made him look at self-worth through a new lens. Shelton admitted that before they came into his life, he believed his talents lay in comedy and singing. However, when they started to depend on him, he realized his best trait was being a reliable presence in their lives, which made him prioritize their needs at all times. As a result, his life plans after "The Voice" were much more laidback.
In another People interview, the "Ol' Red" singer shared that he always strives to be the best possible step-father to his three sons, explaining, "Even though I'm a stepparent, I take that job very seriously. The kids see me as a very important person in their life," he explained. "[When they ask,] 'Why isn't Blake here?' I take that stuff to heart. I've made plenty of money, but you can't buy time back. I don't want any regrets."