Christina Aguilera has given Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani
her blessing.
The “Voice” coach sat down with Access Hollywood
on Thursday to talk about her partnership with Hopeline for Verizon to stop domestic violence, and discuss her return to the smash reality competition next season,
as well as how she reacted to the news of her colleagues’ blossoming romance.
“You know, I didn’t,” Christina told guest
correspondent Alex Hudgens, when asked if she suspected that Blake and Gwen
were an item before the news hit.
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The songstress explained that she and her fellow coaches
pre-taped the Season 10 blind auditions in October, and already had their
respective teams in place by the time the now-couple made things official on
Nov. 4.
Christina did say that chatter about a potential romance
between the No Doubt frontwoman and the country superstar had started to brew
while she was still on set. However, she added, it wasn’t anything she thought
to take seriously at first.
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“I think there was starting to be rumors about it, and
I was like, [laughs] ‘Yeah, right, Blake!'” Christina chuckled.
“It was just funny. We were just palling around, joking
around. And then it became real,” she said.
The five-time Grammy winner sang the praises of both
musicians, telling Access that Blake is “a barrel of laughs, and has been
like a brother to me.”
As for her and Gwen, Christina said their friendship long
pre-dates “The Voice.”
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“She’s an awesome girl. She’s such a dedicated
mom,” Christina said of the 46-year-old music and fashion icon, adding
that the two have attended birthday parties for each other’s children over the
years.
Christina continued, saying that she can personally relate
to the scrutiny both Blake and Gwen have experienced in the wake of their
recent high-profile breakups — Blake and Miranda Lambert ended their four-year
marriage in July, while Gwen split from her husband of 13 years, Bush rocker
Gavin Rossdale, just weeks later.
“Knowing them for so long and having gone through my
own divorce, it’s rough no matter how you want to twist it. And then, under a
media microscope, that just sucks,” she said. “I feel for them, in
both of their separate situations.”
Ultimately, Christina said, she’s thrilled to see two people
she cares about find each other – especially in the aftermath of such difficult
personal circumstances.
“Happiness deserves happiness. They’re good people. I
just know that divorce is tough and so they deserve some laughs and happiness
and if it’s [with] each other, then they deserve each other,” she said.
So has Christina been able to congratulate the happy pair
yet?
“I just saw them yesterday, actually, and I got the
chance to tell [Gwen] in person … ‘You get that cowboy, girl!'” she
laughed.
“The Voice” airs next on Monday, Nov. 16 at 8 PM
ET/PT on NBC.
— Erin Biglow
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