Gwen Stefani apparently views her one-year romantic relationship with Blake Shelton as a blessing.

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"He was a friend to me when I needed a friend. An unexpected gift," Stefani told Glamour magazine for its Women of the Year issue. "And that became an inspiration in the songwriting."

Stefani, 47, and Shelton, 40, bonded over heartbreak during Season 9 of The Voice last year when they both served as coaches and were dealing with the aftermath of divorce. Stefani divorced Gavin Rossdale after he allegedly cheated with their sons' nanny, and Shelton had split from fellow country star Miranda Lambert.

Connecting with Shelton helped Stefani get through the very difficult time, and then her music career exploded.

"Sometimes to be woken up again in life, you need to go through some really bad, hard times. I feel like I got woken up this year... [it's been] mind-blowing," Stefani explained.

"It's so crazy. But one thing I learned is, that's what life is. We all have to go through hard times. Tragedies. Those are given to us to see what we're going to do with them. How can we give back? How can we improve when we have these challenges?"

Stefani's 2016 hit single "Used to Love You" was penned about her split from Rossdale, the man she envisioned that forever kind of love with. She felt "embarrassed" when she was forced to call it quits on her 14-year marriage.

"I don't think you'll talk to one person who didn't make it in a marriage who's not gonna feel that way. The intention of being married is the vow, right? You want to put everything into it to make it a success. And all I had to look at was the huge success of my parents: They just had their 50th anniversary," Stefani told Glamour.

"I had to work really hard at marriage, all the time, like everybody, but ours was extra hard when you add that we're from different countries, both of us being in music, and celebrity. [Marriage] was the one thing I didn't want to fail at. People can say whatever they want to about me... and I don't get too affected. But I didn't want them to think I was a failure. There's nothing weird about how I felt."

Stefani, however, found love again with Shelton, and rumors have been swirling for months that marriage and more children are topics of discussion. (Stefani has three young boys with Rossdale). Earlier this year, the couple even collaborated on a song together called "Go Ahead and Break My Heart" for Shelton's latest album.

Stefani acknowledged that as a pop-fashion icon, she represents an entirely different culture from her Oklahoma-native, country-singing boyfriend. But somehow, their dynamic works.

"There are many similarities in things that we love and our morals. But it's really fun when you can learn about so many new things and share those differences... I've learned a lot about country music from him," she said.

Stefani admitted she doesn't "understand" her journey this past year, but is ready for what's next because she's in "a different place now."

"I feel at peace... right now," Stefani noted. "I'm trying to be present, not thinking and worrying about the past or the future. That's such a waste of time, you know?"

Stefani and Shelton will both serve as coaches together again on next year's twelfth edition of The Voice.
About The Author: Elizabeth Kwiatkowski

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