A fairy-tale romance! Gwen Stefani gave her boyfriend, Blake Shelton, major props while accepting her Woman of the Year Award at Glamour’s annual Women of the Year Awards in Los Angeles Monday, November 14.
“I just want to say that I was on my way here, driving, by myself in the limo, and I was like, ‘What! How did this happen to me? How did I get here? How did this happen this year?'” the “Used to Love You” singer, 47, said as she held back tears. “I was thinking back and I was thinking about my parents, who loved me the most out of anyone, and they planted a seed within me when I was a little girl, and it was a seed of faith.”
Stefani then brought up her August 2015 split from ex-husband Gavin Rossdale — with whom she shares sons Kingston, 10, Zuma, 8, and Apollo, 2 — and how their divorce was one of the most excruciating experiences of her life.
“I was in a pool of tears, and I was so disappointed, and I was so low that I didn’t think there was any way I could pick myself back up,” she recounted. (Us Weekly broke the news of Rossdale’s long-term affair with the former couple’s nanny, Mindy Mann, last year.)
Stefani added: “And I remembered God gave me that gift [of music]. I knew I was chosen to do that. So I basically started pouring my heart into music, and music has saved my life … I’m so honored to be able to share my story and exchange that love back and forth [with my fans].”
After thanking her parents and kids, the No Doubt frontwoman, who stunned in a midriff-baring Marchesa gown for the event, gushed over Shelton, 40, and his romantic way of helping her recover after hitting rock bottom.
“To Blake Shelton for kissing me back to life, thank you so much,” Stefani — who began dating her fellow Voice coach in November 2015 — continued. “I am blown away, I’m blown away by this room of unbelievable courage. It’s unbelievable to be here tonight. I am really, really grateful.”
Those honored at the 2016 Glamour Women of the Year Awards include Bono, Simone Biles, Ashley Graham, Zendaya, Emily Doe (Stanford sexual assault survivor), Patrisse Cullors, Alicia Garza, Opal Tometi (Black Lives Matter), Miuccia Prada, Nadia Murad (anti-ISIS) and Christine Lagarde (IMF), many of whom donated unique auction items and experiences to eBay for Charity to help raise money for non-profit, The Girl Project and other charitable efforts.