Gwen Stefani's life was in "complete turmoil" before she began dating Blake Shelton.

The 55-year-old singer was initially reluctant to dive into another relationship after splitting from Gavin Rossdale, her ex-husband.

Gwen - who has sons Kingston, 18, Zuma, 16, and Apollo, 10, with Gavin - told PEOPLE: "We had just met, and it was chaos. Both of our lives were in complete turmoil, all over the ground. Nothing could save us at that point.

"There was a point where I was like, 'I can't even talk to you. This is insane. I already have enough problems. This is not happening anymore. We're not going to text or nothing.'"

Blake, 48 - who was married to Miranda Lambert between 2011 and 2015 - ultimately managed to wow the blonde beauty with his musical talents.

Gwen - who married Blake in 2021 - said: "I think he really wanted to impress me, because he doesn't really write songs as much as he used to. And I love writing songs. That's everything to me.

"If I want to feel like I have any kind of purpose or any kind of value or anything, it's about writing a song. That's where I get my fulfillment."

Earlier this year, Gwen admitted that she feels conflicted about her desire to make music.

The singer loves the challenge of writing new music - but she's also conscious of her responsibilities as a parent.

The 'Hollaback Girl' hitmaker told NYLON magazine: "I almost feel guilty about it, or like I have to justify it or feel bad that I'm doing it.

"Like, 'You should just get on with your life.' But I really still want to do it!

"I want to live my purpose. I don't want to be greedy. I want to contribute still. I don't know."