What Gwen Stefani Just Revealed About Her Health

Gwen Stefani has made a surprising confession about her health, revealing the truth about why she canceled a handful of concerts in Las Vegas in early 2020 before the coronavirus pandemic really took hold in the U.S. Stefani returned to the stage to continue her "Just A Girl" residency shows at Zappos Theater after several months away, as a string of shows were then nixed due to safety precautions surrounding the pandemic.

Many fans had been waiting a seriously long time to see the star back in action performing her biggest hits, as it was April 2020 when Planet Hollywood tweeted, "@gwenstefani's #JustAGirlVegas residency shows at @ZapposTheater this May are no longer able to happen, in accordance with recommendations from the CDC regarding events." The canceled shows included what was expected to be the last of her residency, with the company adding, "The good news is that she will be returning to Vegas for additional residency dates."

Well, as they say, the show must go on — and that it did, just over a year later. Stefani triumphantly returned to the stage on October 22 and got pretty candid with the crowd while discussing what had happened to her more than a year and a half prior. But what did she say?

Gwen Stefani's October 22 "Just A Girl" residency show in Las Vegas saw the star confess that she had to cancel shows in 2020 due to her own COVID-19 diagnosis. Stefani doesn't appear to have spoken about contracting the virus before, but told fans who gathered to see her in Sin City, "I was the first one to have COVID, in case you wondered," per the Daily Mail. She shared that she believed she caught it while in Vegas as she asked concertgoers, "Do you remember when I canceled those four shows?"

She then admitted that she wanted to get her fans up on stage with her so she could "make out with [them]," but was staying cautious. "Just because I can't touch you, I'm still breathing your air right now, so that's the risk that I'm taking because I love you guys," she added.

The on/off "The Voice" coach didn't explicitly confirm when she had the virus, though she missed out on four shows from February 7, 2020, to February 14, 2020. Stefani didn't share publicly at the time that she'd tested positive but did let fans know she wasn't well and wouldn't be performing via Twitter. In one tweet on February 13, 2020, she wrote she was still "under the weather," after initially tweeting six days earlier that she was "not feeling well."

Stefani appears to have made a full recovery, even marrying Blake Shelton during her Vegas hiatus.

It's unclear whether Gwen Stefani has long-term symptoms from her bout with COVID-19, but if she does, chances are she's taking good care of herself, as she has learned the hard way what happens when you neglect your well-being. "I've got myself in a lot of trouble by not saying no," she admitted to Marie Claire in 2012 about the demands of her busy career. "This last year I kind of stopped working out. I think my body just needed a break." She added, "And so I did that, and focused more on feeling good as opposed to beating myself up."

Stefani is also mindful of her diet and workout routine, taking a straightforward approach to the whole thing. "I hate talking about my body [all the time]; it's ridiculous," she told Harper's Bazaar in 2015 about compliments she receives. "There is no secret: You just have to eat healthy, work out, and torture yourself!" Well, at least the singer has a sense of humor about it!

Overall, it sounds like the Stefani knows when to take it easy, and sticks to what works best for her well-being.

Not only is Gwen Stefani mindful of and forthcoming about her health, but she's also careful about the well-being of others. Case in point: Stefani and her now-husband Blake Shelton put off their wedding due to concerns about the COVID-19 pandemic. "I would say I just want my parents there at this point," she said of the delays during an interview with Ryan Seacrest. "My parents wouldn't come to Thanksgiving because they're so scared so really would rather it not be a COVID situation."

Stefani and Shelton eventually got hitched in July, still deciding to keep it small at around 40 people. Although it's not clear whether they minimized the guest list due to COVID concerns, it's fair to wonder, given they delayed the wedding to make sure guests felt comfortable. And to those who didn't understand why they didn't receive an invite, Shelton quipped in an interview with SiriusXM's Storme Warren, "You know, I was like, 'Listen, you know, we kept it small, get over it, you know, it's not of about you." 

Now that the wedding and Stefani's COVID-19 diagnosis are behind them, the couple can focus on being newlyweds.