Gwen Stefani couldn't "understand" the breakdown of her marriage.

Gwen Stefani

Gwen Stefani

The 48-year-old singer has been dating Blake Shelton for two years, but before then she only ever had two serious relationships, with now-ex-husband Gavin Rossdale for 20 years, and a seven-year romance with No Doubt bandmate Tony Kanal, and she found it hard when they both failed, especially because her parents are still "in love".

She said: "For a long time, I could not understand why I'd had so much heartache in my life.

"I have parents who are still married and in love. I had such loving role models. I didn't understand it."

Gwen - who has sons Kingston, 11, Zuma, nine, and Apollo, three, with Gavin - channeled her emotions at the end of her marriage into her 2016 solo album 'This Is What the Truth Feels Like' and now she thinks her heartbreak was "supposed to happen" so she could connect with other people.

She told the new issue of America's Marie Claire magazine: "What I learned was that my heartbreak was supposed to happen, that it was my purpose to write about and share my story. I met at least 50 to 100 people before each show on my tour and got to hear that my truth and my story translated, and I feel very lucky and honored knowing that."

These days, the 'Make Me Like You' singer is incredibly happy and settled and loves hanging out at 41-year-old Blake's ranch in Oklahoma.

She said: ""It's very tribal. Blake has a sister, she comes with her kids. We cook and get muddy and dirty. There are ATVs. Being a mother of three boys, it's kind of the perfect place.

"Everything is real now, whereas before, things didn't seem so real."

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