The Catholic church finally granted the annulment Gwen Stefani sought from ex-husband Gavin Rossdale.
“Gwen was told the decision was made by the Vatican tribunal,” a source told US Magazine 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 Gwen and fiancé Blake Shelton tying the knot in a Catholic 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.
According to US, The Voice coach had begun “the formal process” to have her marriage to the Bush singer annulled because “religion has always been extremely important to her.”
Gwen and Blake, who were engaged in October last year, plan to tie the knot “most likely early next year,” a source told Us, noting that Blake “built a chapel on the grounds of his Oklahoma ranch” for the ceremony.
Blake has been married twice. He split from Kaynette Williams in 2006 after three years of marriage. He married country star Miranda Lambert in 2011, but the pair called it quits four years later.
Because Blake is also divorced, I wondered how that would impact a church wedding. I’m assuming he’s not Catholic. I did a little research, and this source says that when a Catholic wants to marry a divorced non-Catholic “The divorced non-Catholic who wishes to enter marriage with a Catholic must submit a petition for nullity to the Tribunal.”
The US piece never mentions whether the church also nullified Blake’s marriages.
Also notable, Pope Francis reformed the annulment process in 2015. It is now easier and less costly for Catholics to obtain marriage annulments.
