Is Gwen Stefani really begging Pope Francis to annul her first marriage to Gavin Rossdale so she can marry Blake Shelton and have it be recognized by the Catholic Church? That's the story in one of this week's tabloids. Gossip Cop can set the record straight.
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The Catholic Church won't officiate a marriage after a divorce unless the initial marriage is annulled, and according to the National Enquirer, Stefani is desperate to have a Catholic wedding. The tabloid claims the singer has been meeting with her priest and other religious officials to have her first marriage wiped clean, but the process "can take up to three years" and she's not willing to wait.
"Gwen is planning a trip to the Vatican in Rome with Blake and her parents to make her appeal [to Pope Francis] in person," an alleged insider tells the magazine. The supposed source further contends that Rossdale is furious over her plan and "isn't going to let Gwen just sweep their marriage under the rug."
The outlet's story is coming from a seemingly nonexistent tipster, but Gossip Cop checked in with Stefani's spokesperson, who tells us on the record that it's "untrue." The singer's rep, who's qualified to speak on her behalf, tells us she's not in the process of having her first marriage annulled, and she certainly isn't planning a trip to Rome to arrange a sitdown with the pope.
It's worth noting, this bogus premise isn't original. Last week, Gossip Cop busted the Enquirer's sister publication, Us Weekly, for making up a similar story about Stefani having her first marriage annulled. In that article, however, a so-called "source" was quoted as saying, "The process could take up to a year, and they're willing to wait." This latest report is changing the storyline by claiming the singer won't accept any delays and is marching straight into the Vatican to demand an annulment. This updated and escalated version of the narrative isn't accurate either.
As for the Enquirer, the outlet has trouble keeping track of its made-up reports. Just a few weeks ago, Gossip Cop called out the tabloid for falsely claiming Stefani and Shelton were having a small wedding at their Los Angeles home, but nothing over-the-top as marriage is "just a formality" for them.
Not only is there no wedding in the works, but this latest article is completely contradictory. How exactly did Stefani go from believing marriage is "just a formality" to insisting her marriage be recognized by the church? That article cited above also maintained that the couple would be having a baby through a surrogate following their wedding. That's not the case either. This latest article is more fiction from the repeatedly discredited magazine.
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