Gwen Stefan is a major part of why Blake Sheltons decided to leave The Voice. Apparently, he wanted to be a present stepfather to her sons.
Blake Shelton Wants To Be A Present Stepfather To Gwen Stefani's Children
Stefani shares three sons — Kingston, 16, Zuma, 14, and Apollo, 8 — with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale. The three boys had such a huge impact on the country singer's life, that they changed his priorities.
"Even though I'm a stepparent, I take that job very seriously. The kids see me as a very important person in their life," Shelton told PEOPLE.
According to him, there was a particular incident that made him change his mind about his priorities.
"[When they ask], 'Why isn't Blake here?' I take that stuff to heart. I've made plenty of money, but you can't buy time back," Shelton said. "I don't want any regrets."
He continued, "If I walked away from my career at this time, the only thing that I run the risk of is having regrets that I'm missing out on some more important things in life. For now, that's our kids. This isn't about me anymore and never will be again."
Shelton spoke about stepping back from his career for Stefani and her children in August, months before he announced his exit from The Voice.
"Look, I love music and I love The Voice," he told ET in August, She Knows reported. "I love all the cool things I get to do with my job, but those things all take a backseat now to Gwen and the kids and it's just a new phase of my life."
Blake Shelton Talks About Being A Stepdad To Gwen Stefani's 3 Sons
In a previous interview with People, Shelton recounted how the three boys initially made Stefani sceptical that their romance would last. However, he was sure that the children wouldn't affect their relationship.
"I think Gwen thought, when we first started seeing each other, that it was just gonna be a moment in time because of that," Shelton told People.
Shelton credited his father, who treated his stepbrother, Richie, and raised him as his own, as the one who sets an example for him when it comes to being a good stepfather. He noted that Richie never thought of their father as anything other than his own dad too.
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"The example that my dad set for me was that [a child] was not even a consideration [in a romantic partnership]," the singer shared. "You got three boys? Awesome! My dad did it. My dad raised me. I could do this. I didn't know what I was signing up for, but I was all about signing up for it. And every day I've fallen in love with the boys as much as I do with Gwen."
Stay tuned for more news and updates about Gwen Stefani and Blake Shelton.