WEDDING CRISIS Blake Shelton’s for Blake & Gwen

Just as Gwen Stefani is ready to become wife, he pumps the brakes

She couldn’t have been more clear: She wants him to put a ring on it. On a recent episode of The Ellen Degeneres Show, Gwen Stefani admitted that she thinks about marrying Blake Shelton “all the time,” adding, “You know what, I love weddings. The kids love him, we love him, everybody loves him.”

There’s one problem: Blake isn’t ready to get hitched — and he may never be. “If Gwen is waiting for a marriage proposal from Blake, she’s going to be stuck waiting for a long time,” an insider tells In Touch. “She’s dropping major hints about them getting married, but he’s not biting.” Even though Blake, 41, may want to spend the rest of his life with Gwen, his two failed marriages have made him wary of making it official. “Blake looks back and sees that he and Kaynette [Gern, his first wife] were happiest before they got married, and he only saw his relationship with Miranda [Lambert] go south after they got married,” says a friend of the Voice coach. “He knows marrying Gwen could end in disaster.”

YEARNING TO BE A DAD His track record with walking down the aisle isn’t the only thing keeping him from popping the question. “Blake wants kids, and he knows Gwen may not be able to give him any,” says the insider. “She’s 48. They have tried IVF, but that failed and only ended in heartbreak. He loves her kids, but he wants his own, and it doesn’t look like she’ll ever be able to have another child.”

Blake has made his feelings about tying the knot perfectly clear. After Gwen’s appearance on Ellen, he was asked in another interview whether he and Gwen will wed. “I don’t think it’s [ happening] anytime soon or any- thing,” he said matter-of-factly.

For Gwen, who began dating Blake in late 2015 right after her own marriage to Gavin Rossdale blew up, that had to sting. “She feels like she’s in limbo,” says a source close to the “What You Waiting For?” singer. “She doesn’t want to turn 50 and still be in a relationship where she feels like they’re just treading water. She wants their relationship to grow, and getting married, for Gwen, is the natural progression.”

Sadly for her, Blake doesn’t see it the same way. “He’s comfortable with the status quo,” says his friend. “He knows he operates better in a relationship without a wedding ring on his finger.” ◼

Gwen feels she found the greatest guy in the world, but he won’t commit to her fully”

— AN INSIDER