During an interview on Today, Gwen Stefani acknowledged the Blake Shelton-sized hole on the set of The Voice. Season 24 begins on Sept. 25, and it'll be the first without Shelton in his spinning coaches chair.
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"It's really different being on the show without him," Stefani said while being interviewed alongside the rest of this coming season's coaching roster: Niall Horan, John Legend and Shelton's replacement, fellow country star Reba McEntire.
Through Stefani stressed that "I miss him so bad on the show," there is a bright side to Shelton's absence.
"It hasn't been as hard as I thought it was going to be, because I think he was so ready to have a break that it was kind of weighing on me the last season we were on there." she shared. "I still really love being on the show."
In a chat with People about the end of his 23-season run on the singing competition series, Shelton revealed that Stefani was surprised by the offer to return to the show.
"When I finally came to the conclusion that I was going to call it a day last year, you know, she even said, 'Well, I guess they probably won't have me back ever again'," Shelton said. "And I go, 'What are you talking [about]? They invited you to be a coach for seasons before you and I were ever thing.' And she goes, 'Oh, yeah, that's right. They did do that.' I go. 'Yeah, I'm pretty sure they're still going to want Gwen Stefani to be a coach.' Then sure enough, you know, she's already going to be back and she was excited to get the call."
Shelton went on to put over what sets Stefani apart from other former coaches.
"She just really comes at coaching in a way that I don't think anybody else has done still and there's been a lot of coaches," he explained. "But she's such a visionary, and that comes through with her artists. You can see these kids come on the show... by the end they actually look like stars, and that's the Gwen Stefani effect."
READ MORE: The Voice': Niall Horan Has Words for Blake Shelton After Gwen Stefani Calls His Accent 'Cute'
