Gwen Stefani became the 2,764th person to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame this week ― but, in the eyes of husband Blake Shelton, she’s the brightest of them all by far.
The No Doubt frontwoman and three-time Grammy winner became visibly emotional at her Walk of Fame ceremony in Los Angeles Thursday as Shelton recalled their first meeting on the set of “The Voice” nearly a decade ago.
“The first time that I ever met Gwen was in 2014,” he told the crowd. “She wasn’t like any other famous person that I had ever met before. She drove herself to work in a black minivan with car seats in it. She didn’t roll in with security. She came in with a baby and two little boys which, at the time, worked like security because nobody was going near. It was chaos.”
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Shelton also emphasized Stefani’s “rare” devotion to sons Kingston, Zuma and Apollo ― all of whom were in attendance at the fête ― over fame and fortune in his speech. Still, he described his wife as “the perfect person to receive a star on the Walk of Fame.”
“From music, television and movies to fashion and beauty, she has risen to the top over and over again with her unique style that has made the world fall in love with her ― not as much as me, though,” he said.
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Stefani joined “The Voice” as a judge in its seventh season, replacing Christina Aguilera. At the time, she was married to Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale, while Shelton was nearing the end of his four-year marriage to fellow country singer-songwriter Miranda Lambert.
Shelton and Stefani began dating in November 2015, months after Stefani and Rossdale announced their split. They became engaged in 2020 and tied the knot about a year later.
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In his Walk of Fame speech, Shelton said music remains Stefani’s first love, even as she conquers creative realms beyond the recording studio and concert stage.
“I know firsthand that it takes a lot of people to make a hit record,” he concluded, “but none of this would have ever happened without Gwen Stefani, the songwriter.”
Watch Gwen Stefani’s Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony below. Blake Shelton’s remarks begin at the 13:23 mark.