Shape Magazine (November 2019)
How Gwen Stefani Spends Her Rare Days Off
Fierce, fearless, chic, genuine, fun. Gwen Stefani is that excellent mix of superstar and superchill. As the pop icon returns to The Voice, we got a peek inside her world
There's no such thing as a typical day for Gwen Stefani. Just cross-reference her Instagram feed with that of country music superstar Blake Shelton—her sparring partner on The Voice and main squeeze—and you'll see the happy, red-carpet-to-Oklahoma-ranch hopping they do as America's favorite opposites-attract couple. As you read this, season 17 of The Voice singing competition is in full swing on NBC, and Gwen is also moonlighting on Wednesdays and weekends at her maximum-glam Just a Girl concert residency in Las Vegas. "Like training for a marathon," as she puts it—and doing it in platform heels.
So it was a rare "kind-of day off" summer Tuesday when we connected with her at 8 a.m. while she lingered in bed at her Los Angeles home.
Her Personal Pace
"I love having projects. But I also love to be in my bed and have downtime," she says. "I love to know that I don't have the guilt of being so busy that I miss out on taking my kids to school." (She'll be doing just that for Apollo, age 5, who's headed to a kindergarten prep class after the interview.)
Home Life with Blake
On the nightstand is a box of chocolates from Shelton, who the day before played entertainment committee for her three sons—the older ones are Kingston, 13, and Zuma, 11—so she could do an all-day photo shoot for her eyewear collections.
"He's a feeder. He'll go, 'Here, I bought you some candy,'" she says of Shelton, whom she fell for in 2015 (in front of more than 14 million viewers of The Voice) following the public breakup of their marriages—hers to rocker Gavin Rossdale after 13 years, his to country singer Miranda Lambert after four years. "I feel as if I spent the last four years healing—you know, trying to build my life again. Having a best friend like Blake to help me do that has been one of the greatest gifts," says Gwen, 50. If the couple have been coy about their marriage plans, it's clear they've reached their domestic bliss without putting a ring on it.
Date Night Glam Slam
Tonight they're going to a movie premiere, where the fashion icon will not disappoint in a cutout leopard-print top, fringed shorts, thigh-high boots, and a graffitied army jacket that's true to her punk-princess roots. "I've been shopping my face off buying looks for when we do reality days on the show," Gwen says. "They just had sales online, so I went crazy. Forty percent off on Yoox? I'm all over it!" Gwen is such a deep-down true believer in fashion with a virtuoso eye that she's not above digging in the trenches. She not only works looks but lives them, and she's not waiting for a stylist to play dress-up. "I'm passionate because fashion is such an extension of whatever your mood is or where you are in your life and what you're trying to say," she says. Right now, her office is filled with her designer bargains. After I get off the phone, I'm doing my own fitting."
Always On Mom Duty
Twenty minutes into our call, Kingston (King, for short) comes with news that Apollo might have banged himself playing outside. She scoops her youngest into her lap for a minute to make it all better—then chases the boys out of the room to get back to today's first order of business. "One thing the kids have taught me is how to be more organized," she says. "I lived at home until I was 26, then I had a tour manager, then a manager, then an assistant. On tour, you even have somebody who has the key to your hotel room. But as a mom, you have to be the one in charge."
Working Out—Her Way
"I have no magic thing that I do to stay fit. I eat really clean, do my shows, and work out. I always feel better when I'm in a routine even though I sometimes hate it. I play tennis, badly, with Blake. Then we go to the gym. I like to do squats and lunges and light weights. I don't go crazy like I used to. I do just enough to make my body feel good."
Balanced But Busy
"Balance is the hardest thing, but it's also the most important—being with my family, having time with Blake where we just watch movies. It seems like, with your career, you have to keep swimming, keep moving, or else you're going to look back and go, 'Shoot, it's over.' I don't like feeling like that. I want to do creative things when I want, and I want to stop chasing all the time. It's hard, but I'm really enjoying being in the moment."
Staying True to Her Roots
"I'm an unusual product of an ordinary California family. My parents met in high school, my mom never worked, and we went to church on Sundays. Now I get to travel the world. And spending time in the middle of America [on Blake's ranch]—that's something I didn't expect. The way we live at the ranch is really simple. There are watermelons that Blake planted and all my wild flowers. It's a nice contrast to L.A., although I do keep 20 chickens in the backyard here at home too."