Blake Shelton & Gwen Stefani have been together for eight years, and their third wedding anniversary happened last week. Which is the focus of Us Weekly’s cover story this week. Gwen and Blake are very happy, you see. There’s no drama, just love. Which I believe, although I think there was probably some drama along the way. Everyone thought Gwen and Blake would be a quick rebound relationship for both – instead, they found a real love match. Not only that, but Blake enthusiastically embraces the role of stepfather to Gwen’s three kids, much to the irritation of Gavin Rossdale. Us Weekly’s cover story is a real lovefest but I enjoyed it! Some highlights:

The family went to Italy for Blake’s birthday: It was a birthday to remember for Blake Shelton. In mid-June, the country star — who turned 48 on June 18 — and wife Gwen Stefani traveled to Italy with Stefani’s three sons for a family vacation. In typical tourist fashion, they did some sightseeing at the Vatican Museum, checked out the famed Trevi Fountain and had lunch in San Marco Square. During an afternoon gondola ride in Venice, Shelton and Stefani, 54, sipped from champagne glasses and exchanged a sweet kiss. “They did a lot of shopping and dined at the finest restaurants, but they also relaxed and ordered room service and watched TV,” a source exclusively shares in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “They all had a blast.”

Their marriage: “Gwen and Blake are doing amazing,” adds the second source. “They’re more in love than ever.” Few saw the unlikely romance coming. “They are the quintessential opposites-attract type of couple,” says a third source, noting that Shelton and the No Doubt frontwoman “complement each other in the best ways. People around them didn’t understand the pairing at first,” adds the source, “but now they see how strong the love is [between them].”

Their divorces: “Gwen and Blake both went through dark divorces,” says the third source. “It was a hard time for them. Their connection was the light at the end of the tunnel.” Shelton has credited Stefani with saving his life. “It was like literally falling off a cliff,” he recalled, “and a hand reached out and caught me.”

How Blake proposed to Gwen: They were together for six years before the “God’s Country” singer popped the question in a custom-made chapel he’d built for Stefani on his 1,300-acre Ten Point Ranch in Oklahoma in 2020. “One of the main reasons they waited to get engaged was because Blake wanted to finish building the chapel for Gwen on his property,” says the first source. “He felt it would be really special to propose there.”

They disagree sometimes: When disagreements arise, the first source says the pair don’t take digs at each other: “They talk things through until they come to a resolution that works for the both of them.” Adds the fourth source: “They still butt heads sometimes about work-life balance, but always work it out. They’ve gotten closer by tackling challenges together and supporting each other’s dreams.”

Stepdad Blake: The first source says that while Stefani’s sons are close with Rossdale, they’ve come to see Shelton “as a father figure as well,” adding, “Blake loves them so much.” Stefani’s thrilled to see how close they’ve gotten. “Gwen’s sons are her whole world,” continues the first source. “If Blake hadn’t accepted them with his entire [soul], that would’ve been a deal breaker. It melts her heart to see him with the boys. Their family has blended perfectly.”

Life in Oklahoma: Shelton has opened their eyes to the joys of country living. “The boys have been able to experience things in Oklahoma that they’ve never really done in L.A., like campfire cooking, farming, planting trees and shooting off fireworks,” says the first source, noting that Shelton enjoys hosting gatherings at the ranch and the couple’s house on Lake Texoma. According to the third source, “When Gwen’s not working in L.A., they’re in Oklahoma. She prefers it to the fast-paced Hollywood lifestyle.” Shelton also introduced country music to the kids.

Gwen made Blake more religious: Their shared faith is also important to them. Stefani — a devout Catholic — “was the one who ignited Blake’s religious beliefs,” says the third source. “They go to church with the kids and hold the same values. It’s a priority for them.”

[From Us Weekly]

Yeah, I believe all of this. I don’t think this is happy horses-t being spun to hide some awful story. Blake has telegraphed and said outright that Gwen is the one and that she and the kids are his whole world. I think the religious stuff is interesting too, because Gwen really is super-Catholic, go-to-church-every-Sunday religious. Blake really wasn’t like that at all before he met Gwen, but I think he really likes that Gwen is surprisingly “old-fashioned,” if that makes sense. She’s not a tradwife, but she IS traditional and privately conservative.

Photos courtesy of Cover Images, cover courtesy of Us Weekly.