‘The Voice’ is back on Oct. 19! We’re taking a look back at Gwen Stefani & Blake Shelton’s romance at the place it first began.
Gwen Stefani, 51, and Blake Shelton, 44, are madly in love, and their romance has been going strong for five years now! Both stars went through a lot before finding love with each other, but now, it’s proven that they’re a perfect match. Although they come from completely different backgrounds, Gwen and Blake have made their romance flourish over the last five years — which started when they were both judges on The Voice! Just in time for the premiere of the next season, which is on Monday, Oct. 19, here’s a timeline of how it all went down.
The Divorces
Before finding each other, Blake and Gwen were both married to other people. Blake wed Miranda Lambert in 2011, but in July 2015, they shocked country music fans by announcing they were getting divorced. Meanwhile, Gwen married Gavin Rossdale in 2002, but they also announced their split in the summer of 2015. Theirs was a bit more complicated, though, as they shared three kids together (Kingston, now 14, Zuma, now 12, and Apollo, now 6).
‘The Voice’ Season 9
Obviously, Blake and Gwen were both extremely heartbroken by their breakups, but that fall, they were both back at work on season nine of The Voice. It was only Gwen’s second time as a coach on the show, and she and Blake admittedly didn’t get to know each other that well the first time around. This time, though, they had something mutual to bond over. The two channeled their heartbreaks into a close friendship, which quickly turned romantic.
Confirming The Romance
For weeks, rumors surfaced in magazines and online about Gwen and Blake’s relationship, but they kept hush-hush about the reports. However, they finally went public in mid-November 2015. On Nov. 4, Blake performed at the CMA Awards in Nashville. Gwen was not by his side at the show, but afterward, they were photographed attending an after-party together — and there was no mistaking the fact that they were holding hands. Now, everyone knew it was SO on between these two.
Going Public
Once there was no mistaking that Gwen and Blake were an item, they slowly began to flaunt their relationship more in public. Aside from flirting with one another during The Voice live shows that fall, they also attended an Arizona Cardinals game together in late December. Gwen even posted a photo from the game on social media! At this point, they began meeting each other’s friends and family members, as well.
1st Official Event As A Couple
Gwen and Blake attended their first official event as a couple in mid-February 2016. They weren’t shy about showing some PDA at Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy Gala on Valentine’s Day. Gwen wore a red dress and was photographed sitting on Blake’s lap inside the high-profile event.
Red Carpet Debut
The couple then made their official red carpet debut just a couple of weeks later — and it was at one of the biggest events of the year. Blake was Gwen’s date to the Vanity Fair Oscars Party, which is attended by all of the most A-list and high-profile celebrities. They walked the red carpet together and looked like the picture perfect couple as they posed for photographs.
Inspiring Each Other’s Music
In 2016, Blake and Gwen also began releasing new music about their breakups and finding each other. Gwen dropped her song, “Make Me Like You,” in Feb. 2016, and didn’t hesitate to admit that it was about Blake. The lyrics tell the story of finding the right person when you least expected — or even wanted it — after a failed romance. Blake then put out his song, “Came Here To Forget,” on March 8, 2016. Although he didn’t write the track, it was clearly relatable to what he was going through, as the lyrics are all about two people coming together to forget about their past romances.
Award Show Debut
Gwen and Blake attended their first award show — the Radio Disney Music Awards — together at the end of April 2016. Although they didn’t walk the red carpet as a couple, Blake was by Gwen’s side inside the event. Gwen was given the Hero Award at the show, and Blake gave her a very public kiss when she stood up to accept the honor. So sweet!
Their 1st Duet
Blake’s album, If I’m Honest, came out in May 2016 and featured a duet with Gwen. The pair collaborated on the track “Go Ahead and Break My Heart,” and they performed it together at the Billboard Music Awards. The pair could not have looked more in love as they serenaded one another with the lyrics onstage.
Blake Bonds With The Kids
Now that Blake and Gwen had been together for almost a year, the country singer also started getting to know her kids pretty well. He formed a super close relationship with all three boys, who began looking up to him as a second father figure. Gwen began sharing photos and video of her sons bonding with Blake on social media, and they started spending a lot of time at Blake’s ranch in Oklahoma as a family.
Gwen Returns To ‘The Voice’
After taking a few seasons off, Gwen returned to The Voice for season 12, which aired during the spring of 2017. Of course, Blake was still on the coaches’ panel, as well. This time, though, they weren’t focused on hiding their relationship anymore. Instead, they were more flirtatious with one another than ever, and made no secret of the fact that they were hot and heavy.
A Holiday Duet
After the success of “Go Ahead and Break My Heart,” Blake and Gwen just couldn’t resist collaborating again! In the fall of 2017, Gwen released a Christmas album, and she duetted with Blake on the title track, “You Make It Feel Like Christmas.” They wrote the song together at his ranch in Oklahoma, and performed it a number of times together during that holiday season.
1st Country Music Awards Show Together
In 2019, Gwen accompanied Blake to a country music awards show for the first time. They attended the ACM Awards that April. Considering Blake’s ex, Miranda, is also in the country music community, Blake and Gwen stayed away from flaunting their love at country music shows. This time, they once again didn’t walk the red carpet together, but Gwen was front and center when Blake took the stage to perform. Interestingly, it was also at this show that Miranda made a big point to diss her ex while performing (she changed the lyrics of one of her songs to say, “I got the HELL OUT OF Oklahoma,” which is where she lived with Blake when they were together).
Gwen Comes Back To ‘The Voice’
After taking four more seasons off, Gwen was back on The Voice for season 17, which aired in the fall of 2019. Once again, she and Blake were flirtier than ever on the show. Gwen took off for season 18, but will return for season 19, which airs during the fall of 2020. They just can’t get enough of each other!
2 More Duets
Blake and Gwen make sweet, sweet music together, so they were at it again in 2020. “Nobody But You” actually came out in December 2019, and became a massive country music hit. The song was reminiscent of the pair’s relationship, as the lyrics focused on a couple who was happily in love. Blake and Gwen performed it together at the Grammy Awards in January 2020, as well. Then, they went for back-to-back success with the song “Happy Anywhere,” a country track that was released during summer 2020. Amazing!