Gwen Stefani: I struggled with mother label

Singer Gwen Stefani initially didn't want to think of herself as a mother, but she's now accepted it.

The No Doubt singer has sons Kingston, nine, Zuma, seven, and 20-month-old Apollo with Gavin Rossdale, who she's in the process of divorcing following their split in August (15). Although becoming a parent has enriched the 46-year-old star's life in ways she didn't expect, at first it was difficult to come to terms with the way it changed things.

"In the beginning, I didn't want to think of myself as a mother," she told InStyle magazine. "I was like, 'Wait a minute! Ain't no hollaback girl is who I am!' I had to learn to accept it.

"Being a mother and having a career – those are just different roles you play. You're still the same person you were before, but now you're more because you're a mother, too, with a lot to do."

Earlier this week (beg02Nov15) Gwen's representative confirmed she is dating her The Voice co-judge Blake Shelton, ending weeks of speculation about the pair. They are even said to have worked on a country music track together, and it seems this is a dramatic change from the last few years, where Gwen found it hard to balance the demands of her family with her career. This was particularly notable when she was working on No Doubt's last record, 2012's Push and Shove, as she was constantly worried about letting her kids down.

"I didn't tour at all," she said. "But I did record the No Doubt album, which was super hard. I was torn the whole time. Every day I would take the kids to school, drive to Santa Monica, work on the album, and then I'd think, 'Oh my god, if I don't leave by 2.30, I'm not gonna get home in time for dinner.' And Gavin being on tour... I'm not gonna say there weren't some incredible moments making that album. But it was a lot of knocking my head against the wall. A lot of struggle."

She also spoke of "hard times... personally" before she welcomed Apollo into the world, and while Gwen didn't go into detail she did admit her self confidence took a pummelling. She credits Pharrell Williams, who has also judged The Voice, with helping her get back on track.