“Gwen was told the decision was made by the Vatican tribunal,” the insider says five years after the pair called it quits in August 2015. “She will be receiving the notification in writing in the next few weeks, but it’s official.”

The annulment previously served as a barrier between Stefani, 51, and fiancé Blake Shelton tying the knot in a church.

“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,” the source says.

Us broke the news in March 2019 that the “Hollaback Girl” singer had begun “the formal process” to have her marriage to the Bush singer, 55, annulled because “religion has always been extremely important to her.”

After the coronavirus pandemic began in early 2020, however, a source told Us that the former No Doubt singer’s feelings had “changed” about waiting to marry Shelton, 44, until the annulment had gone through.

“COVID-19 has turned their world upside down, as it has with so many families. Gwen knows she is blessed and wants to have the wedding as soon as social distancing guidelines are lifted,” the insider told Us in June 2020. “Gwen wants to have a ceremony and reception with their family and friends.”

The pandemic and quarantine made the “Let Me Reintroduce Myself” singer realize that waiting on the church was “futile because it could take years” to get a final decision, the source added.

Stefani, who shares sons Kingston, 14, Zuma, 12, and Apollo, 6, with Rossdale, has since gotten engaged to Shelton and begun planning for their big day.

The Voice coaches, who met in 2015 while on the NBC show, announced their engagement in October 2020.

They plan to tie the knot “most likely early next year,” a source told Us in December, noting the country crooner “built a chapel on the grounds of his Oklahoma ranch” for the ceremony.

“It’s really a tribute to their love,” the insider added.

Shelton, for his part, has been married twice. He split from Kaynette Williams in 2006 after three years of marriage. The “God’s Country” singer wed Miranda Lambert in 2011, but the pair called it quits four years later.

With reporting by Jennifer Heger

This story originally appeared on: US Magazine - Author:Johnni Macke