The cover story of the latest Us Weekly claims that Stefani and Shelton are finally ready to marry after years of rumors. Previously, it had been reported that Stefani was putting off the wedding because she was hoping to get an official annulment for her previous marriage to Gavin Rossdale so she could have a Catholic ceremony with Shelton.
Now, however, “it doesn’t matter as much anymore.” According to the magazine, Stefani’s “big fear was that a second marriage would be tainted somehow without that spiritual endorsement,” but she’s realized “the bond they share is stronger than anything” either has had before.
The outlet goes on to say that the pandemic has been a bit of a “wake-up call” for Stefani. “They’ve spent more time together in lockdown than they had during their entire relationship before,” the magazine’s source says. “It’s made Gwen realize that waiting for an annulment is futile at this point.”
The tabloid adds that the couple have already begun their wedding plans, looking to tie the knot as soon as social distancing restrictions have been lifted. The next step, the tabloid finishes, is having a kid: “It’ll be the icing on the cake in terms of their love story, especially after they’re officially declared husband and wife.”
To be clear, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton are not engaged — at least, not publicly so. But they are committed, happy, and completely in love, although Shelton has been pretty cryptic about the engagement question in the past. Earlier this year, he said that he “loved” rumors about how they were already secretly married.
“Anybody that thinks I’m married to Gwen already, I love it,” he told Entertainment Tonight. “Who wouldn’t want to be married to Gwen Stefani?” It seems entirely likely that Stefani and Shelton will get married at some point soon, and maybe she really has decided to leave the official annulment behind.
Still, Gossip Cop should note that Us Weekly has been known to publish false rumors about Stefani and Shelton in the past, so forgive us if we’re a little wary of this report for now. In November 2018, the tabloid wrote that Stefani and Shelton were having a baby via surrogate and were even “in the final stages” of choosing a woman to carry their child. Stefani’s rep assured us the story was false — and now, a year and a half later, it’s obvious how untrue it was.
In January of last year, that outlet claimed that the couple was about to announce their engagement, a story which was picked up by its sister publication, In Touch. Gossip Cop was once again told by Gwen Stefani’s spokesperson that she and Blake Shelton were not making an engagement announcement. And again, the passage of time has confirmed the rep’s words.