Gwen Stefani on the most troubling aspect of her divorce

‘Not only did my family break up, but then my kids are taken away like half the time'

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Gwen Stefani speaks with a candour about gruelling aspects of her life that many would refuse to address with any more than their inner circle, particularly when it comes to divorce.

In an interview with Harper’s Bazaar, Stefani highlighted one of the most troubling aspects of separating from Gavin Ross: the new living arrangements that meant her time with her children was suddenly halved.

Stefani and Rossdale met in 1995 when No Doubt supported his band Bush on tour and divorced in 2002. In a statement, they said they had “come to the mutual decision that we will no longer be partners in marriage.” However, they vowed to remain “partners in parenthood”.

Unlike many high-profile people who shun attention around developments in their personal lives, Stefani took control of her narrative by being forthright in interviews in the months after.

Admittedly, it would have been difficult to do otherwise considering the subject of her solo album was her heartbreak.

Addressing the events which inspired This is what the truth feels like, she said: “It was so insane because not only did my family break up, but then my kids are taken away like half the time, so that was really like, 'What?! What did I do?'

“Everybody knows what happened to me,” she told Pride Source earlier this year. “I got a divorce. It's the worst thing that can happen to me besides death. My dreams are shattered and I feel so embarrassed about what happened.

“I don't feel embarrassed to talk about it though, with respect to my kids. I just think what happened was: In February (2015), my family fell apart. It was devastating. I didn't know what to do. It was a real big secret, but as I just explained, I'm not good with that. I tried everything to fix it.“