Blake Shelton moves Gwen Stefani to tears as he recalls the first time they met

Blake Shelton made wife Gwen Stefani cry at her Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony on Oct. 19 when he shared the sweet story of how the pair met as judges on "The Voice."

“The first time that I ever met Gwen was in 2014. She wasn’t like any other famous person that I had ever met before. She drove herself to work in a black minivan with car seats in it," the country music superstar, 47, told the crowd as Stefani, 54, laughed beside him.

"She didn’t roll in with security. She came in with a baby and two little boys, which at the time worked like security because nobody was going near — it was chaos," he joked.

The "Nobody But Me" singer said he could tell immediately that Stefani cared more about her sons Kingston, Zuma and Apollo — who were in attendance at the Walk of Fame ceremony — than stardom.

“It was clear to me that she was a mother first and foremost over anything else in the world — that was her No. 1 job,” he said as Stefani struggled to hold back tears.

“And now, standing here almost 10 years later after I first met her, I can say without question that being a mother is still the most important thing in her life. And I got to tell you all, that’s rare in this business," added Shelton.

In the summer of 2015, the pair formed a closer friendship as they supported one another during the simultaneous breakups of their marriages — Shelton’s to country star Miranda Lambert and Stefani’s to Bush frontman Gavin Rossdale.

Friendship grew into love, with the couple tying the knot in 2021.

During her Walk of Fame ceremony, Shelton joked that it was nice to see the devoted mom honored for her "side project" as "one of the biggest stars in the world."

He cited his wife's work both as an entertainer "from music, television and movies" and as a designer for her L.A.M.B. fashion brand.

"She has risen to the top over and over again with her unique style that has made the world fall in love with her," he said. Then, with a glance at Stefani, he added, "Not as much as me, though."

Shelton credited the "Don't Speak" singer with having a special star quality "that no one can ever explain."

"It’s that thing that she was just born with that will make you stop and go, ‘Wait. Who is that? What’s her name? What does she do? Why do I love her already? What the hell?'" he gushed as Stefani laughed again.

"That’s the thing that God gives you," he said. "And without question, God gave Gwen an extra scoop of it."

Shelton went on to call Stefani an "exceptionally talented" songwriter who has "blessed a lot of people’s lives" with her music.

"Now, I know firsthand that it takes a lot of people to make a hit record," he said, referring to the dozens of hits Stefani has scored both with No Doubt and as a solo artist.

"But none of this would have ever happened without Gwen Stefani, the songwriter. So congratulations to my all-time favorite songwriter on your star. You deserve this and I love you," he added.

Stefani, who by that point was wiping tears from her eyes with a tissue, shared a hug with her husband, telling him, "I said it'd make me cry."

The three-time Grammy winner later took to the podium to thank the special people in her life, including Shelton, whom she called her "best friend."

"You have given me the kind of love I never knew before," she gushed to him. "The minute I met you, I knew that I was home and I am so, so proud that you're mine. I can't believe it. I love you so much."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com