Gwen Stefani Reflects On Spiritual Awakening Before Giving Birth At 44

Gwen Stefani is reflecting on a deeply personal moment in her life. The singer, who grew up in a Catholic household, spoke about her spiritual awakening before welcoming her youngest son, Apollo. She gave birth at 44, a moment she calls a "miracle" that strengthened her faith.

In March, Stefani had a conversation with Jeff Cavins for the "Hallow: Prayer & Meditation" YouTube channel, where she talked about her upbringing and her faith.

As the singer shared, she grew up in a Catholic household, although her family practiced the faith in a more relaxed manner. She talked about her spiritual awakening that happened in her 40s after discussing the Torah with a former "atheist Jew" from Israel who converted to her religion.

Stefani said that as she talked about the Torah with the man, it was "waking her up."

Stefani, who was 43 years old around that time in 2013, was "desperate" to have another baby but knew that she was "too old." She had already given birth to her eldest son, Kingston, in 2006 and welcomed a second son, Zuma, in 2008.

Right about the same time, her eldest son told her that he wanted to have another sibling, but she said, "I'm sorry, you mommy is too old to have a baby."

However, that didn't deter Kingston from praying night after night for another sibling. "He was doing it every night, and I never asked him to do that. Never taught him that, really." Stefani shared. About four weeks later, she learned that she was pregnant.

The singer and her then-husband, Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale, welcomed their third son, Apollo Bowie Flynn, on February 28, 2014. Stefani shared that she was 44 years old when she gave birth to her youngest child, and she delivered him naturally. "Totally a full-on gift. And that was the first miracle," she added.

Stefani and Rossdale were together for 20 years, 13 of those years as husband and wife. The No Doubt singer filed for divorce in 2015, citing irreconcilable differences. The process was finalized the following year. However, it wasn't until 2021 that the marriage was annulled by the Catholic church.

The annulment was important to Stefani, as she couldn't get married in a Catholic church without her marriage to Rossdale being declared null and void. "It was a huge relief for Gwen because she wanted to get married by her priest and have the marriage recognized by the Catholic church," an insider told Us Weekly in 2021.

Regarding her split with Rossdale, Stefani said, "I was turning to my faith right away." The singer knew that her divorce had happened for a reason, and she chose to focus on her purpose in life.

Stefani and country superstar Blake Shelton started dating in 2015, and they married in an intimate ceremony at a chapel in Oklahoma.

Stefani shared that her relationship with Shelton was different, as it was the first time she had received "active love."

"I don't think I knew how to even receive it. Like, it was just like I would be so uncomfortable when someone was sacrificing or actively trying to love me through their actions by maybe sacrificing something," she shared.

Shelton has credited his wife for strengthening his faith, sharing in 2025 that he has learned a lot from her. "When you're around her, everything she sees, she sees God in it... Her faith is alive, and it's incredible to be around her," he shared.

In December 2024, Stefani partnered with the prayer and meditation app, Hallow, for their 25-day prayer challenge leading up to Christmas. In December 2025, she once again promoted the app on her social media. On February 18, Stefani posted about the 40-day Lent prayer challenge in partnership with the app.

The singer faced backlash, with social media users calling her out for supporting an "anti-abortion" app, while others criticized Hallow as a "pay-to-pray" app. Content creator Matt Bernstein wrote, "If you're looking for God this season, you don't need to give those people $70 to find him...."

Stefani has not publicly responded to the negative reaction.