Blake Shelton: ‘Every day I’ve fallen in love with the boys as much as I do with Gwen’

This is pretty cheeseball, but I adore the way Blake Shelton loves being a stepfather. It adds to his appeal, and it’s a wonderful example, I think, for other men. There are a lot of single moms and divorced moms out there, and may their lives be blessed with men who adore their children as much as Blake Shelton adores his stepsons. It’s been that way from the start of his relationship with Gwen too – soon after they got together, she was bringing the boys to Oklahoma, and he was providing them with a different kind of life than the way they live in LA. Zuma, Kingston and Apollo seem to adore Blake right back. Obviously, Blake and Gwen got married last year and everything seems to be going along swimmingly. Blake talked about fatherhood and more in a lengthy new interview with Country Countdown USA:

He’s prepared to take more of a step away from music: “What I’ve been looking forward to doing for the last four or five years is eyeing that timeline, that part of my career, where I just need to start stripping some things away. You gotta get some life in there, and marrying Gwen, I’ve married into a family. She’s got three boys … and all of a sudden you go, there’s other stuff.”

Choosing to get involved with a mother of three: “I think Gwen thought, when we first started seeing each other, that it was just gonna be a moment in time because of that,” he said, alluding to her concern about whether he would want her sons in his life. But Shelton said he didn’t think twice about making a commitment to the boys — and he did so because he had such a fine example in his own father, who married his mother when she already had a baby, his brother, Richie. “He took Richie on and raised him from the time he was 1 year old, and my brother never thought of my dad as anything other than his dad… The example that my dad set for me was that [child] was not even a consideration [in a romantic partnership]. You got three boys? Awesome! My dad did it. My dad raised me. I could do this. I didn’t know what I was signing up for, but I was all about signing up for it. And every day I’ve fallen in love with the boys as much as I do with Gwen.”

Bringing the boys to his 1,300-acre ranch near Tishomingo: “The two of them [the older boys] were like, ‘Well, what do we do now?’ I go, ‘Go out that door and don’t come back till you’re too tired to go any further.’ Well, they can’t even imagine just going down to the creek with a net or turning over rocks or getting on a buggy and driving around.” Today, Shelton said, his ranch has become “like Disneyland” for all three of his stepsons. He shared that he’s taught them how to fish, but he added, the boys have other favorite pursuits: “When it comes to burning things and starting fires and throwing hatchets, you better get out of the way!”

On Gwen’s faith: “I think honestly, looking back, that under the circumstances that Gwen and I fell in love with each other and got together was all the proof I needed. She has such a strong faith in God. I mean, if Gwen was sitting here right now, she would go ‘God'” — Shelton raised one hand high over his head — and then ‘everything else.'” He lowered the other hand toward the floor. “Just watching her and learning from her and learning how she thinks and how she treats people and how she just operates in her life, naturally I start seeing the God in everything, because she does.”

Gwen strengthened his relationships with his family: Shelton said his wife also has tightened the bonds with his sister, mother and stepfather. (Shelton lost his father in 2012.) “She’s got her arms around all of them,” he said, “and I never experienced that with anybody really, because that’s a lot to take on, and family’s first for Gwen.”

Gwen cooks: “Gwen’s Italian. She’s other things, too, but she really leans into the Italian part of her blood, and that comes with lots and lots and lots of family gatherings and lots of food. I mean, there’s a reason that my chin looks like a f—ing stork, and I’m OK with it!”

[From Hello & People]

It strikes me that Gwen and Blake must have been so exotic to each other. Gwen, the California girl who is also from a tight-knit, Catholic, Italian family. Blake, the Oklahoma redneck with two divorces under his belt and a lot of family mess. She’s blonde hair and red lipstick, he’s flannel shirts and neckbeards. But it works, and I think Blake’s devotion to Gwen and her sons is a huge reason why they work so well together. Anyway, I came away from this kind of moved? (Also: it’s so funny to me that all of this is probably driving Gavin Rossdale up the wall.)

Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram.

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34 Responses to “Blake Shelton: ‘Every day I’ve fallen in love with the boys as much as I do with Gwen’”

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  1. dina says:

    This is so sweet!!

    • snappyfish says:

      I have always rooted for Gwen. From day one when she was writing great No Doubt songs because Tony dumped her. I’m so happy she finally found the man who treats her like she deserves. When she married Gavin, wearing in my opinion that beautiful dress hand painted Dior by Galliano that only she could wear, they were simply gorgeous together. But Gavin put her through he wringer with cheating, a secret daughter, more cheating. So, I think Kaiser is right and this is driving Gavin nuts, and I, for one, am here for that.

    • DuchessL says:

      Gwen fixed her man picker antenna pretty well. Blake shelton seems to be husband goal. Besides “dont speak” and “without you” i dont really know their music but i like them both. We do have to point out that when your finances arent a problem it’s easier to cope with the other half’s kids. The dude with a small paying job taking a bus everyday to work might not be able to step up financially, take care of all things and spend quality time with the kids. He also doesnt have his own. But i think he is doing a great great job. Some rich people can’t even do that with their own.

  2. C-Shell says:

    Very sweet. I admire the fact that Gwen settled Blake down from a pretty aimless — albeit successful — existence. I hope she has taught Blake to love God’s 4-legged creatures better to set a good example for the boys, who are lucky to have the outdoors experience as part of their lifestyle. Odd, but good match.

    • Wiglet Watcher says:

      He still hunts for sport as well as food and she’s fine with all the conservative views that they donate to. They have a very well curated PR image.

      • C-Shell says:

        So it seems 😕

      • JesMa says:

        Which conservative causes? I just looked up the charities they donate to and it is all kid cancer, children’s hospitals, food banks, aids research, and funding the arts. She also raised a ton for Obama and even did a personal donation to his campaign as well. There is no record of her donating to the GOP. So are you making assumptions or do you have and actual sources I can read?

      • MoonTheLoon says:

        To a lot of conservative christians, “God’s” love only extends to humans. Can’t be arsed at all with animals, sadly.

    • Dashen'ka says:

      Rich successful man had aimless life bc he…didn’t have a wife and baby’s! Minivan majority over here

  3. Laalaa says:

    You know, I’ve just realized my BF and I are like them! We are very different when it comes to lifestyle habits, nobody would have put us in a relationship, not even I in theory! But we communicate really well, it turns out we have a very similar personality that just operates in different media for the two of us, I guess? And we really love each other.
    Blake is a good man to Gwen, it’s lovely to see.

    • Wiglet Watcher says:

      You and your bf sound cute in your dynamic, but I think it’s not comparable. Blake and Gwen have the same core values and wants. They exist in the same industry. They can say they’re different because we associate Gwen with makeup and no doubt while Blake is a bit rougher, but that’s just a surface for their careers.

      I think these 2 are perfectly suited to each other.

  4. Nikki says:

    I don’t think kids can fake the kind of smiles all 3 boys are wearing; this seemed very heartwarming to me. I hope the marriage sticks!

    • LaUnicaAngelina says:

      I agree. Seeing the genuine happiness and warmth from the boys is what makes me believe this all. I like Blake and Gwen together.

  5. Ash says:

    They are an adorable couple. Such opposites in many ways, but it seems like it works! Blake seems really happy with her, and it’s nice to see how he treats the boys.

  6. mj says:

    I was raised by a stepdad who loved me as his own, and had occasional run-ins with a stepmom who wished I never existed. Hearing about good stepparents absolutely warms my heart.

  7. Miranda says:

    I love the bit about Gwen’s boys not even knowing what to do with all the wide openness of Blake’s ranch, but then totally embracing it and going wild! We had a reverse experience when my husband brought my stepdaughter to live with us. She had spent her childhood thus far on the same horse farm in rural Alabama where her dad grew up, with a couple of miles between them and their nearest neighbors in any direction, and went from that to downtown NYC. She was almost overwhelmed at first, but fascinated with everything. She had endless questions for and about her new diverse neighbors, and wanted to try all the obscure ethic cuisines on offer, and explore every museum, and she would’ve happily ridden the subway 24/7 if we would’ve allowed it. 4 years later, she’s turned into a proper jaded New Yorker, but for the first 6 months or so, she thought the city was magical. It was so much fun for me, as a lifelong Manhattanite who often takes these things for granted, to see the city through her eyes. Blake obviously feels similarly about his stepsons on his ranch, and the way he speaks about Gwen, you can tell he adores her. They sound like a lovely family.

  8. Sasha says:

    She’s seemed blissfully happy ever since being with him, and I think that’s all the proof anyone needs. Any man who is this wholeheartedly committed to raising another person’s children gets a big yes from me. I’m sure they have a lovely life together, long may it continue!

  9. Denise says:

    I believe they are happy but that’s a very unfortunate choice of words from him

  10. Chelsea says:

    It’s very interesting to read that country boy Blake with his huge farm he loves to brag about got closer to God because of California Gwen’s faith in God or that this relationship has lasted this long period but as people have pointed out Gwen has always had an undercurrent of Orange County buttoned up conservatism so it’s not really that surprising that these two who on paper look very different end up meshing so well.

    • Nicole says:

      This right here. She grew up behind the orange curtain. She’s probably at minimum moderate liberal or extremely conservative or somewhere in the middle. They work because their value system (especially politics), are quite similar. Public image is just noise.

      • JesMa says:

        She raised 500k for Obama’s campaign and was his guest and the entertainment at his last state dinner. So probably not ultra conservative.

  11. Dee Kay says:

    I remember a line from the (amazing) movie The Upside of Anger, when Kevin Costner’s character (a single retired baseball star) starts to fall for his newly widowed neighbor Joan Allen, who has 4 daughters: “When I’m with you and your girls, I feel like there’s a lot more life to live.” (Not an exact quote) I get that same feeling from Blake here, that the kids are a wonderful plus to the romance, not a minus.

  12. Fortuona says:

    What Kaiser said about Blake it true sort of but his sister also married an Italian Catholic years before Gwen/Blake hooked up . They have a daugther to same age as Gwen’s youngest niece and they are BFFs

  13. Ariel says:

    I am always thrilled, impressed, moved- when a step-parent comes in and just declares themselves a member of Team Kid(s). It is so important for kids to have that unconditional love, and structure and stability. And anyone who step-parents and goes in 100% has my eternal respect and admiration.

    I know nothing about Blake Shelton- but for this, i am a fan.

    • Emma says:

      Me too! I just went through an awful marriage where my soon to be ex husband seemed to adore my daughter at first. After the wedding = total nightmare. He was resentful of my daughter, jealous of our relationship, mean and worst of all was a secret alcoholic. I cannot tell you the damage those two years did to us. So, bravo to Blake, hearing what he said about the kids warms my heart and makes me a fan! 🙂

      • WiththeAmerican says:

        I mean, Blake is a not secret alcoholic. I deeply suspect things are not as cute as they portray in curated PR.

        I’m sorry your marriage was so awful what a betrayal for him to misrepresent himself.

      • WiththeAmerican says:

        I meant to say Blake’s not a secret alcoholic — he tells us how much he drinks!

  14. Green Desert says:

    Okay…this is really sweet. I’ve always been impressed by Blake’s clear love for Gwen’s boys. I can’t relate to the God stuff but even that grabbed me a little. Before Gwen I wouldn’t have thought this about Blake, but he’s definitely a much deeper person than I’d have thought. I do think that Gwen’s got a little of that conservative OC thing going on. But I also think living in CA has been good for Blake.

  15. WiththeAmerican says:

    I want to believe this, but he’s an alcoholic. They don’t change. So he seems to really love Gwen and her kids, but that won’t make him a better man.

    He drinks all through the show, he fell on stage due to drinking, he says he will drunk until he dies. This is what Gwen accepts in her role as Good Cool Girl.

    They’re both conservatives.

    • JesMa says:

      Eh, I’m not sure about this. My uncle drinks pretty much every day. He has been married to my aunt for 50 years and has always been the most wonderful husband and father. Super hands on, supportive, and loving. He is now an extremely doting grandfather. Even when my grandmother, his mother in law, was recovering from breast cancer surgery he was amazing. He would give her her meals, meds, and change her surgical dressings because his wife couldn’t handle it. He would make her music play list of her favorite old songs. I’ve always thought he had a drinking problem, but I still think he is a good man.

  16. Lola says:

    Gwen said back in the 90’s, “all I ever wanted was a simple man so I could be a wife.” Don’t let the fashion on the exterior fool you, they aren’t opposites attract, this is who she is.

  17. Veronica S. says:

    Her first marriage ended miserably, so I can let her have this one if it’s an honestly happy one. Not everybody takes to kids as easily as Blake seems to, so good for him and good for the kids. Good luck to them.

  18. Plums says:

    I feel like a bit of a dick for assuming the worst kind of stereotype about him, but I am genuinely, pleasantly surprised they look like they’re in it for the long haul and are so well suited to each other. And I like that he talks about faith in a way that feels genuine and personal and not preachy holier-than-thou douchery like some other celebrity Christians I won’t trouble to mention. Gwen is like that too.

  19. HeyKay says:

    The wedding photo of Blake, Gwen and the boys is just so beautiful!
    Happy family, happy life, I wish this for everyone.

    Gavin has just as much opportunity and time as either Gwen or Blake to see and spend time and be involved with his sons, if he’s not making a real effort then he can go soak his head. His own damn fault, no sympathy.

    Blake, Gwen, and Gavin are all wealthy and have flexible schedules.
    If Gavin wanted more time with them, he could easily move 5 miles from their home, it’s not as if he has to punch a time clock at a factory job 1K miles away because it’s his only job opportunity.