Why is it when Gwen Stefani calls her baby a "blob," it seems charming, yet when pal Angelina Jolie did it, it sparked a media firestorm? Chalk it up to the singer's universal likeability, which she shows off in her latest interview with British Elle. The 37-year-old wife and mother opens up to the mag about playdates with Brangelina, and how hard it is for her to stay stick-thin.
Stefani also reveals another thing she has in common with Jolie (besides invoking the "b word") -- they both tried out for Mr. & Mrs. Smith. Oh, how our lives would be different if she'd gotten the role! Well, our life anyway.
Highlights from the interview below:
On being pregnant in the public eye:"It was weird being pregnant in a fishbowl situation. Especially on days when you feel really fat and disgusting and not cute. Pregnancy was challenging in a way I didn't expect. I was on tour and I was so sick. It was like PMS times a million."
On her baby weight:"I worked out with my trainer throughout my whole pregnancy until about two weeks before. I cried during my last session. I was like, 'I can't breathe, I can't do this anymore. What am I doing?' It was crazy. All my life I had to work hard to stay in shape. I've always struggled with it. I was a little chubby when I was younger, and I didn't want to be that person forever. I became a swimmer at school -- but only because I wanted to be skinner! I'm extremely vain. I like wearing cute clothes."
On getting her figure back post-pregnancy:"There aren't any tricks, it's simple math: you put this much food in, you burn that much working out. I gave myself three months -- but if I didn't have an album coming out, there's no way I would have gotten back into shape in that time. I worked out with my trainer five days a week, with weekends off. I would really recommend doing weights. I'm not into yoga and Pilates -- they don't work for me and I don't have the patience. I'm more like a man, I like going to the gym and lifting weights or doing a little boxing."
On whether her son, Kingston, and Brangelina's daughter, Shiloh, play together:"Yeah! They were like two little blobs when they met. Maybe they'll get married when they grow up? That'd be cute!"
On auditioning for the female lead in Mr. & Mrs. Smith:"I don't know if I almost got it (the role), but I certainly put a lot of effort in. They were clearly looking for a certain girl, and you couldn't get more opposite than me and Angelina."
On the Hollywood body standard:"It sucks that that's what is supposed to look good and that's what everyone strives to be. There's more to life than being on a diet. Clearly, I spend time thinking about it, and it's something I've had to deal with in my life. As I get older, I try not to focus on it, it's boring, it's a waste of life. What I have learned is that whether I'm fatter or thinner, people seem to not mind, they like me either way. It's more in your own mind than anyone else's."
On plastic surgery:"I enjoy a great surgery TV show as much as anyone -- I watched a lotof those shows while I was pregnant! But it's pretty bizarre that that's where we're at -- that you can place an order for how you're going to look. People take it pretty lightly, but it's a big deal. I've thought it over but I'm not at that stage yet."
On being married to a fellow rock star [Gavin Rossdale]:"There are negatives and positives, but for most part, it works. He can tell me about things going well or badly and I can totally relate to that. We were very lucky to find each other and we have this ongoing crazy love affair, with its peaks and valleys, like everyone else's...Having Kingston has been the most romantic thing to have happened to us."
On being down-to-earth:"I still read a menu and go, 'Look at the price -- I can get that!' I still think, 'I'm in First Class, this is awesome.' It's insane what's going on in my life -- I just can't believe my luck."
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