Gwen Stefani didn’t expect to land ‘hot’ husband

CEBU, Philippines - Gwen Stefani and Gavin Rossdale will celebrate their 13th wedding anniversary this October, yet the No Doubt singer still considers the Bush frontman to be out of her league.

As she explains in Cosmopolitan’s March issue, “I never really saw myself landing a guy that hot. I don’t know if I was a nerd in high school, but I definitely wasn’t the super-cute cheerleader so I never saw myself getting somebody like that.”

Though the “Baby Don’t Lie” singer admits that her husband is “quite handsome,” the mother of three boys adds, “It’s not the most important thing about him, but it is nice, and he makes really cute babies!”

What’s her secret for sustaining a marriage? “We go through so much together—it’s a miracle that we could stay together this long,” the Voice coach and “Settle Down” said. “Gavin’s on a short tour right now, and he wrote me the sweetest note this morning. It’s good to have those days when we both do our own things. I think that’s what keeps relationships going, when both people can be themselves and have their own individuality.”

“That’s especially important for women,” Stefani added. “It’s hard to find time for yourself.”

On the career front, Stefani is gearing up for the release of her third album, which follows 2004’s “Love. Angel. Music. Baby.” and 2006’s “The Sweet Escape.” And though her band released the album “Push and Shove” in 2012, Stefani has spent the past few years designing for L.A.M.B. and raising Kingston James McGregor, 8, Zuma Nesta Rock, 6, and Apollo Bowie Flynn, 11 months. Though her third solo album’s release date is TBD, she’s excited to be making music after a mini-break.

“My parents taught us, ‘Music is your hobby. People don’t make it. It just doesn’t happen.’ It still shocks me that people care about me. I trip out about it all the time. It’s mind-blowing! For me, I’ve never gotten to a point where I felt, ‘Okay, I’ve made it. I’m No. 1!’ It’s an amazing feeling to hit No. 1, but it’s not that different a feeling from not being No. 1. It’s really about the journey — that’s where the joy comes,” she said. “It’s not about the end result, because there isn’t really ever an end.” (FREEMAN)