The Same Pain
Shelton and Stefani first met on season seven of “The Voice”, but did not become deeply acquainted at that time. Stefani (still married at the time) had taken time off to have her third son.
When she was back on the show in 2014, they were both going through very difficult times in their relationships and bonded over their mutual heartache. In a 2016 interview with Billboard, Shelton dished that it all began from a deep conversation they had about their respective breakups.
Two Paths Finally Connect
Interestingly enough, Stefani and Shelton were enduring some deeply painful struggles in 2014.
Stefani then began the work on her new solo album, and also came onto production of "The Voice", as a co-judge with Adam Levine, Pharrell Williams, and of course, Blake Shelton. And so here is where the two finally came face-to-face. They seemed to hit it off on "The Voice" as both fellow judges and friends.
City Girl Meets Country Boy
Gwen being a rocker girl and Blake being a country boy, seemed like they wouldn’t be a match. But apparently, it was a classic case of opposites attract!
Stefani actually hadn’t known much (at all) about Shelton before they met on "The Voice". People Magazine claimed that Stefani had shared that she “didn’t even know that he was a human being on this planet” before the show. So how did the co-judges become more than just friends?
Saving His Life
Sharing each other’s pain became the root of a very meaningful relationship between the two. Shelton had also shared with Billboard that after that conversation, the two made sure to check up on each other as they walked through the ending of their relationships.
“Gwen saved my life. Who else on earth could understand going through a high-profile [break-up] from another musician? You can't even imagine the similarities in our [break-ups].” He further confessed, “Next thing I know, I wake up and she's all I care about, and I'm ¬wondering if she feels the same about me.” And what did Gwen think?
Healing Broken Hearts
Stefani shared with E-News! about what had been happening in her personal life since her split from Rossdale. She revealed that she had felt like she had spent four years healing and trying to rebuild her life. She was just grateful to have a best friend like Shelton to help her through it.
This best friend eventually became a new song. In 2016, Shelton and Stefani co-wrote “Go Ahead and Break My Heart”. The lyrics show just how much their hearts had been through “You know I'm broken, I don't trust anyone…You've got me thinking, I've got some hope." Adorable.