After 13 years of marriage, nearly 20 years together, and three kids, Stefani and Rossdale announced their divorce in 2015. “While the two of us have come to the mutual decision that we will no longer be partners in marriage, we remain partners in parenthood and are committed to jointly raising our three sons in a happy and healthy environment,” they said in a statement to People.
Shelton later told Billboard that his and Stefani’s divorces happening around the same time was part of what brought them closer together, first as friends. “She didn’t tell me much, because we didn’t know each other at the time,” he said, “but she said, ‘I’m going through something very similar to what you’re going through. I understand. And I hate it.’ That’s kind of how our friendship and bond started, that day . . . Next thing I know, I wake up and she’s all I care about, and I’m wondering if she feels the same about me.”