Here's Why Gwen Stefani Needs An Annulment Before Marrying Blake Shelton
It's been more than five years since Gwen Stefani ended things with Gavin Rossdale, but she still isn't officially free from that marriage - according to The Vatican.
Now she's living a glamorous and romantic life with Blake Shelton, who proposed to her back in October. To recap: Divorced? Check. Engaged? Check. So why does Gwen need an annulment from her ex?
That's what fans are asking after reports surfaced about Gwen's recent annulment application. According to Vanity Fair, The Vatican has just given Gwen's application an answer. Read on to learn what that's all about.
Gwen Is Deeply Religious
Gwen Stefani is actually really into religion (specifically Roman Catholicism) so marriage is very important to her. Because annulments are recognized by the Catholic Church as the official end of a marriage, it was essential for Gwen to go this route after being married to Gavin for 14 years.
If you learned about annulments from marriage-obsessed Ross on 'Friends' (no shame) you might be surprised to learn that they can be awarded even if a marriage has been consummated. That's definitely the case for Gwen and Gavin, who had three biological children together but were still eligible to get annulled.
An Annulment Will 'Legitimize' Her Divorce
In 2015, the sitting Catholic Pope opted to change rules for divorced people who hoped to remarry. He declared that they would have to go through a detailed (and sometimes costly) application process of annulment to "legitimize" their new marriages, but could choose to fast-track their annulments by seeking them through a local parish instead of through The Vatican itself.
Gwen chose to get her annulment from the actual Vatican, so it's likely partly responsible for her and Blake not getting married sooner. This process would have involved Gwen submitting a 'Declaration of Nullity' that claimed her marriage to Gavin was 'not valid' at the time they spoke their vows. "Deceit" is the most common reason for people to claim their marriage contracts were invalid, so it's likely that Gwen and Gavin had to prove that one or both of them were lying when they vowed to stay faithful, support each other through thick and thin, and so on. Ouch.
Can Gwen Finally Remarry?
According to reports from Vanity Fair, People, and Us Weekly, Gwen and Gavin's annulment was approved by The Vatican yesterday.
"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," a source reported to Us Weekly.
Blake will be on his third marriage, so we can only assume he's racked up some annulments of his own. Who knew getting married could be so complicated?
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