Blake Shelton Discovered His ‘Dad Instincts’ Through His Girlfriend Gwen Stefani’s Sons

Blake Shelton getting into a relationship with Gwen Stefani could only mean learning how to get along with her three sons, Kingston, 11, Zuma, 9, and Apollo, 3.

According to Shelton, it took him a while to figure out what his place really is in the three boys’ lives, as well as in their minds. But once he got the hang of it, he discovered that his “dad instincts” came naturally to him. “The best part for me, selfishly, is discovering an instinct that kind of kicks in,” he told People.

“The Voice” coach, who was recently named as this year’s Sexiest Man Alive by People, also revealed that Stefani’s three sons have so much energy. When they’re around, he couldn’t help but wonder when they will go back to school. But when they’re not there, he just couldn’t wait to hang out with them again.

“They’re so damn funny. It just my first time being around it, and it’s easy to fall in love with those kids. They’re pretty special,” he said. Kingston, Zuma and Apollo are Stefani’s kids with her ex-husband, Gavin Rossdale.

Meanwhile, even though Shelton and Stefani are celebrating the country singer’s new label, a lot of critics were displeased that People named the hit makers at 2017’s Sexiest Man Alive. Some people also uploaded Shelton’s homophobic tweets from several years ago.

Last year, the same homophobic tweets already went viral so Shelton decided to delete them. He also wrote a brief explanation and said that he just loves make fun of things, but this does not mean he tolerates or promotes hate. He also acknowledged the fact that his humor can sometimes be immature and inappropriate, but never hateful.

After learning that People has chosen him to be this year’s Sexiest Man Alive, Shelton admitted to feeling a bit hesitant. After all, Shelton said that he grew up fat and at times he even thought he was “ugly.” But it was Stefani who encouraged him to embrace the moment since it may only come once.