Can't Keep A Good Woman Down

Gwen Stefani has been through some shit. But with a hit album,a hot boyfriend (Oh Hai, Blake Shelton),and her U.S. Summer tour now in full swing, she’s serving up gratitude with her glamour.

- Merle Ginsberg

BY NOW everyone knows the Gwen Stefani story. Or at least they think they do.The gist: SoCal ska-punk girl turns global superstar, first as the lead singer of No Doubt and then as a hit churning solo artist with a side of lauded fashion (L.A.M.B.) and fragrance (Harajuku Lovers) lines. She spent 13 years married to Gavin Rossdale, the Bush front man with whom she has three boys: Kingston, Zuma, and Apollo. The couple split last August and now share joint custody of the kids. Three months later, Gwen went public with her relationship with Blake Shelton, her costar on NBC’s The Voice and former husband of singer Miranda Lambert. The country mega stars divorced in July 2015.

The exact time line of who, what,when, and how the two Camelot couples of music came undone is murky. Sleuths can mine Gwen’s latest album This Is What the Truth Feels Like and Blake’s If I’m Honest (we sense a theme) for tells of what went down. Hear especially their duet “Go Ahead and Break My Heart,” which Gwen co wrote with Blake for his album. The rumor is that Gavin cheated with the nanny (heard that one before). But whatever, that was then. This is Gwen.On the set of her Cosmo cover shoot,the singer—who was raised Roman Catholic—is hyper-spiritualized, giving it up to the power of God, prayer, and blessings at every turn. “It’s a journey I’ve been on,” she says of her faith.“I got lost for a while, but I found my way back. So many crazy miracles have happened around me, I don’t feel that I can be responsible for that.”