Calling It Off
Haunted by trust issues, Gwen Stefani puts the brakes on her plans to marry Blake Shelton in Oklahoma this summer
Plagued by trust issues, Gwen Stefani pulls the plug on her planned Oklahoma wedding to Blake Shelton.
“When Gwen got through with her list of concerns, she told Blake she was calling it off,” an insider says of their nuptials. “She explained that her fears were too great to overcome right now.”
Every thing was coming together perfectly. After more than two years as a couple, Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton had finally settled on a date to make things official. “Gwen had been planning a wedding for this June,” a source tells Life & Style. “She was talking about having a down- home country wedding in Oklahoma and how she wanted all her family and friends to celebrate in a fun way. She was so happy.”
But in recent weeks, things began to change. As Gwen moved forward with plans for the celebration, “She started panicking about all the details — and about her future with Blake,” the source reveals. Overwhelmed by growing insecurities and trust issues along with more practical concerns like where they’ll live, she got cold feet. “Gwen and Blake had a massive fight,” the source exclusively reveals, “and Gwen called the wedding off.”
HAUNTED BY JEALOUSY
The country superstar’s behavior around other women was front and center during the blowup. Gwen’s first marriage, to Gavin Rossdale, fell apart in 2015 after he allegedly cheated with the family nanny. That’s left Gwen, 48, deeply insecure about Blake’s friendships with women, even if they’re completely innocent. And she reached a breaking point after Blake, 41, got close to Chloe Kohanski, 24, the platinum- blond singer he coached to victory on the most recent season of The Voice. “Gwen was really unnerved by the student-teacher relationship, especially when Chloe took home the title in late December,” an insider tells Life & Style. When she saw the body language between them in photos after the finale, she found out just how flirty Blake was being. Overcome with jealousy, says the insider, “Gwen confronted Blake about her angst over him and Chloe, and [that’s when she] called off the wedding.”
Gwen had been torturing herself up until that point. “She kept saying things to Blake like, ‘She’s much more your type than me,’” says the insider, noting that Chloe’s a Southern girl from Tennessee while Gwen’s a poster child for California. “Blake was hurt and disappointed” to hear her talk that way, the insider says, and he tried to assuage her fears. “Gwen told friends that Blake reassured her over and
“She told Blake she…had misgivings about such a big commitment.” — an insider
over again that absolutely nothing was going on between him and Chloe,” confirms the source. After all, his marriage to Miranda Lambert also fell apart in 2015 amid reports she cheated on him, and he and Gwen first fell in love as they commiserated over their similar situations. So the last thing he would do is cheat. But Gwen is convinced there’s an imbalance in their relationship. “Gwen,” says the source, “feels as if she loves Blake more than Blake loves her right now.” That has her worried that she could wind up heartbroken again, like she was after her split from Gavin. After calling off the wedding, “she told Blake all about her insecurities,” the insider says, “and how she couldn’t handle another heartbreaking divorce because of trust issues she needs to face.”
Blake has been understanding. “He told Gwen he loves her more than anything and that if she needs to hit pause on the wedding and the planning for now, that’s OK,” says the source. “He’s still
“We were both having trust issues.” Gwen, confessing in 2016 that she worried about starting a relationship with Blake
ready to marry her the second she’s ready.”
MORE PROBLEMS
That might be a while. Before Gwen can be comfortable walking down the aisle, there are other issues she needs to face. It turns out she had been fooling herself all along that she was prepared to get married again. “She realized that she isn’t ready to relocate to Blake’s ranch in Oklahoma yet,” says the insider, because she doesn’t want to pull her sons, Kingston, 11, Zuma, 9, and Apollo, 3, away from their schools, friends and father. She’s also touchy about being seven years older than Blake: “She’s joked that he’s her ‘ boy toy,’ but she’s always been uptight about the age difference,” says the insider. Problems with starting a family have also fueled her fears. As Life & Style has reported, Gwen and Blake have been pursuing IVF, unsuccessfully so far. “She’s afraid that shadow [of not having a baby] is still hanging over their relationship,” says the source, “even though Blake tells her that it isn’t.”
CHANGING DYNAMIC
Blake and Gwen still love each other deeply. But the relationship isn’t the constant public gush-fest it used to be. Behind Gwen’s back, the source tells Life & Style, “Blake sometimes imitates her and makes snarky comments about her high- pitched voice.” Though he’s clearly just joking, “She’d be crushed if she knew,” says the source.
Early in their romance, they weren’t even apart long enough for Blake to secretly poke fun at Gwen. But now tour dates and other work responsibilities keep them away from each other more. “I think Gwen would feel so much more secure if she were back on The Voice,” explains the source. “They just don’t seem to spend as much time as they did in the beginning of their relationship, since they don’t work together anymore.”
Those close to Gwen and Blake still want them to get their happily ever after. “Most friends believe they will still walk down the aisle someday, but Gwen and Blake have some things to work on first,” says the source. “Trust is important and this isn’t the right time for a dream wedding.” After all, adds the source, “The last thing Gwen or Blake wants is another divorce.”
“It’s been hard for Gwen to be apart from Blake.” — a source
The Kardashian Christmas card reveal is always an event, and this year, Kim Kardashian made it a bigger deal than ever. Every day on Instagram, the 37-year-old reality star, who was expecting a third baby via surrogate with husband Kanye West, 40, around the holidays, revealed a new section of the pic, showing different family members. Flashes of the Kardashians are pretty much all fans get these days. Once a tight-knit clan, the sisters are living separate lives — and their men are responsible. “The sisters are being torn apart by the guys in their lives,” an insider exclusively reveals to Life & Style. “The men are successful in their own
rights and have their own agendas.” Worse, none of the sisters approve of who the others are with. And now that Kylie Jenner, 20, and Khloé Kardashian, 33, are expecting babies with their partners (rapper Travis Scott, 25, and Cleveland Cavaliers player Tristan Thompson, 26), the rifts are looking permanent. “The sisters have chosen to stand by their men” instead of each other, says the insider. “It’s a mess.”
SO MUCH DRAMA
For Khloé, who’s moved to Cleveland to be closer to Tristan, distance from her family hasn’t made her heart grow fonder. “She’d been fighting with her mom and sisters, so she was happy to leave,” says a source. “They wonder if they’ve lost her for good. Tristan is her ticket out. She doesn’t need her family’s support.”
Kylie does — but they’re not so eager to give it anymore. In the fall, In Touch reported that Travis had been cheating on her with a 20-something he met shooting a video. “Kylie was devastated, but her family wasn’t surprised,” says the source. “They’d all warned her. They don’t trust Travis.” Even so, “She wants to marry him,” the source says, “and is furious at her family for bad-mouthing the father of her baby.”
Even chill Kendall, 22, has trouble: Her LA Clippers boyfriend, Blake Griffin, 28, has a reputation as a ladies’ man, and her sisters don’t approve. Kourtney Kardashian, who has three kids with ex Scott Disick, and Khloé “have been through hell with cheating men,” notes the source. “It’s the last thing they’d want for Kendall.” But she’s ignored their warning, and it’s a source of real tension between them.
The siblings are also weirded out that Kourt, 38, is with model Younes Bendjima, 24. “They think he’s far too young,” says the insider. “Kourtney doesn’t like to be judged by her family.” Neither does Kim. Despite Kanye’s controlling nature and mental breakdown (which led to a 2016 hospitalization), she’s stood by the father of North, 4, and Saint, 2. And she’s made it clear to her family that she won’t accept criticism of him. “Kanye needs to focus on himself, not Kardashian drama,” says the source. “And Kim didn’t want to lose him. She’s had to make him the priority, not her family.”