Gavin Rossdale may be the new attraction on The Voice UK. But it was his marriage with American singer Gwen Stefani which has courted the most attention over the past few years. The couple met in 1995 when both their groups - Bush and No Doubt - were on tour. After seven years of dating, they tied the knot in 2002 with a wedding in St Paul's, London and a second celebration was held in Los Angeles two weeks later. However, Gavin and Gwen announced the end of their 12-year marriage in 2015 with the mother-of-three filing for divorce citing "irreconcilable differences" in court documents, amid rumours that the British rocker had been unfaithful.
Last month, Gavin opened up about his "shocking" split from Gwen. In an interview with Fabulous magazine, the 51-year-old admitted that the decision to end their marriage had not been his, but emphasised that he holds nothing against his "incredible" ex-wife. "[Divorce] was completely opposite to what I wanted," he explained. "But here we are. Apart from death, I think divorce is one of the hardest, most painful things to go through." Reflecting on their relationship, he added: "We had 20 years together and that in itself is pretty incredible. It's a lifetime. It was a lovely 20 years and we have three amazing children. There were lots of positives, and with time they'll become more and more obvious."
© Photo: Getty ImagesGavin Rossdale was married to American singer Gwen Stefani for 12 years
The stars - who have sons Kingston, ten, Zuma, eight and Apollo, two - had a rocky romance, especially after a paternity test in 2004 revealed the musician was the biological father to model Daisy Lowe from his relationship with Pearl Lowe. Despite their troubles, the couple continued to put on a brave face, with Gwen telling Cosmopolitan - just months before their split - how pleased she was that their romance had made it through the years. "We go through so much together - it's a miracle that we could stay together this long," she said at the time, before adding: "It's good to have those days when we both do our own things. I think that's what keeps relationships going, when both people can be themselves and have their own individuality."
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe former couple tied the knot in 2002 with a wedding in St Paul's, London
Gavin and Gwen announced their decision to split in a joint statement, insisting they remain committed to their three children. "While the two of us have come to the mutual decision that we will no longer be partners in marriage, we remain partners in parenthood and are committed to jointly raising our three sons in a happy and healthy environment," the couple shared. "To that end, we respectfully request privacy from the media during this time."
© Photo: Getty ImagesGavin and Gwen announced their decision to split in 2015
Although the father-of-four's current relationship status is unknown, Rich Girl hitmater Gwen is now dating her co-star from The Voice, Blake Shelton. The 47-year-old recently opened up about how she coped with her painful divorce, by using music as an outlet. During an appearance on Good Morning America, she revealed: "I felt like, 'Wow, I can't go down. This is not who I am. I'm not going to fail.' I had to make something good out of it. So I tried to write because I know that that was my gift. And I was like, 'I'm going to do this. I'm going to make this into music.'"
Take a look back at Gavin Rossdale's past loves
Last week, Gavin described the divorce as "the worst time of my life ever". Speaking to the Guardian, he confessed: "Well, if you divorce America's sweetheart, you're in trouble. Or rather, if she divorces me… She's the mother of my children and one of the most incredible girls in the world." When quizzed about whether they still talk, the musician replied with a simple, "she's busy". He explained: "She has a boyfriend and she's busy… but I wish her all the happiness in the world, and that's the true sign of love. As I'm sure your favourite artist Sting said: 'If you love someone, set them free.'"
