Blake Shelton quit The Voice to spend more time with Gwen Stefani and step-kids

The Country singer met his wife-to-be more than six years ago while both were coaches on The Voice.
Blake Shelton (Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP/PA)
Ellie Iorizzo7 December 2022
The Weekender

Sign up to our free weekly newsletter for exclusive competitions, offers and theatre ticket deals

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Blake Shelton said he decided to depart The Voice US after 12 years as a coach in a bid to spend more time with his new bride Gwen Stefani and her three children because he doesn’t “want any regrets”.

The country music star, 46, announced his shock exit from the US version of TV talent show earlier this year, having been part of the original coach line-up and appeared in all 23 seasons of the NBC show.

Shelton, who married 53-year-old singer Stefani on July 3 last year, met his wife-to-be more than six years ago while both were coaches on The Voice.

Speaking of his departure from the popular TV show, he told People magazine: “The holdup over the years has been that it’s a hard thing for me to let go of. I’ve been here literally since the first minute.

“When I started on The Voice, that was 10 years into my career as a country artist. I never really made it to the A-level of country artists until I became a coach. The show did a hell of a lot more for me than I brought to the table at the time.

“I’ve far exceeded anything I thought I could ever accomplish in the entertainment world.”

Shelton revealed he was prioritising spending time with Stefani and her sons Kingston, 16, Zuma, 14 and eight-year-old Apollo – whom she shares with her ex-husband Gavin Rossdale.

He said: “If I walked away from my career at this time, the only thing that I run the risk of is having regrets that I’m missing out on some more important things in life. For now, that’s our kids. This isn’t about me anymore and never will be again.

“Even though I’m a step-parent, I take that job very seriously. The kids see me as a very important person in their life. (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.

“I’ve had people say, ‘Man, come on. You’re not quitting The Voice (to do) nothing!’ But I really am… It’s time to push some of this (work) stuff out and let more family and personal life in.”

He added that he is feeling “settled” since tying the knot with No Doubt singer Stefani and feels happiest when in Oklahoma with his family.

Shelton said: “We get away from everything (in Los Angeles), and we’re just us. It truly does feel different. That’s where I feel the most comfortable, happy and safe. Gwen and I have done so much traveling and touring and work the first half of our lives that now we’re like, ‘Hey, I’m good to put my sweatpants on at 6pm and watch Ozark eight times.

“That’s our life now, and we love it”.

Speaking of his marriage, Shelton added: “The relationship that we have is so natural and so normal. This feels like the easiest thing I’ve ever been a part of. To me, she’s my best friend and everything that I need and lean on.”

The country singer has since created TV gameshow Barmageddon with his friend Carson Daly, which sees many of their celebrity friends, including Elle King and Sheryl Crow, participate in over-the-top bar games.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in