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Blake Shelton<\/strong><\/a> is gushing about his wife Gwen Stefani<\/strong><\/a> on her 55th birthday.<\/p>\n \u201cHAPPY BIRTHDAY to my favorite girl \u2026 my pretty girl,\u201d Blake, 48, wrote in an Instagram post<\/a> shared on Thursday, October 3. \u201cI LOVE YOU!!!!!\u201d In the carousel of photos, the first shot featured the A-listers smiling for a sweet selfie. The next image showed Blake and Gwen on stage, followed by a cozy moment where the \u201cHollaback Girl\u201d singer sat on his lap.<\/p>\n For her part, Gwen, 55, shared her birthday festivities via her Instagram Story, where her husband gifted her a necklace with a pendant of the number nine. \u201cOMG, number nine,\u201d she gushed as she opened the box. \u201cNine years together. I love you.\u201d<\/p>\n To celebrate the milestone, the pair \u2014 who met on the set of The Voice<\/em> and began dating in 2015 \u2014 went on a scenic hike in the mountains followed by drinks on an outdoor terrace.<\/p>\n The loved-up couple is painting a picture of romance after months of battling breakup rumors. Speculation first ignited that the pair were experiencing trouble in paradise in 2023 when they spent New Year\u2019s Eve apart. At the time, a source exclusively told Life & Style<\/em> that Blake and Gwen were \u201cleading separate lives\u201d and had been \u201cfighting\u201d recently.<\/p>\n \u201cGwen and Blake\u2019s marriage is definitely in trouble,\u201d the insider said. \u201cLately, they\u2019ve been at odds about everything from career decisions and the parenting of her three boys to where they spend most of their time. The tension continues to grow, and Blake and Gwen are drifting apart as a result.\u201d<\/p>\n Months later, a separate source told Life & Style<\/em> in late February that the couple was \u201ccommitted to making their relationship work<\/a>\u201d after realizing they had been \u201cspending too much time apart.\u201d Gwen took the lead, \u201cdeciding things had to change.\u201d<\/p>\n The insider said the singers planned to discuss their schedules before committing to any jobs, Blake agreed to sit at more dinners at home with Gwen\u2019s boys<\/a>, Kingston, 17, Zuma, 15, and Apollo, 9, and they planned a romantic getaway for just the two of them.<\/p>\n \u201cThe Sweet Escape\u201d singer later broke her silence on the split speculation<\/a> in April, calling the rumors \u201clies.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you\u2019re in love and have truly aligned values, nobody can get to us,\u201d Gwen told Nylon<\/em> of her relationship in an interview published on April 9. \u201cYou can say whatever you want to say about our relationship \u2014 I mean, a week ago we were getting divorced again or something.\u201d<\/p>\n In response to rumors about her marriage to Blake, Gwen stated, \u201cIt\u2019s all lies. The truth is the truth, and we know what that is.\u201d<\/p>\n Later that month, sources told Life & Style<\/em> that Gwen and Blake were seemingly trying to grow their family<\/a>, however, the journey hasn\u2019t been easy.<\/p>\n \u201cGwen and Blake have been wanting a baby of their own for years now,\u201d says a source. \u201cThey\u2019ve had surrogates on board, but something always seems to fall through at the last minute. It\u2019s been a struggle.\u201d<\/p>\n The insider called it a \u201ccomplicated situation,\u201d adding, \u201cFriends say Gwen wanted to use a surrogate in California and Blake wanted someone far removed from Hollywood. In another case, the surrogate backed out because of the pressure. When it doesn\u2019t work out, it\u2019s wrenching for Gwen and Blake.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n