Gwen Stefani has recently opened up about her struggles with dyslexia in her adult life, with the admission coming after her three children whom she shares with ex-husband Gavin Rossdale all started having trouble in school. The 51-year-old singer spoke out on At Home With, Zane Lowe’s series on Apple Music, describing how she was able to work through her own learning issues because of her children.
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Stefani admitted that she only recently discovered that she suffers from dyslexia, but that it made sense with some of the other issues she’s faced in her life. “I feel like a lot of the problems that I have had or even decisions that I’ve made for myself stem from that, because now the children--obviously, it’s all genetic--they have some of those issues,” she said.
Thinking back on her own experiences in school, Stefani told Lowe, “It was just really hard for me to function in that square box of school that everybody was supposed to be understanding. And my brain didn’t work like that; it still doesn’t.” The singer went on to open up about the beginning of her career, and how she recently realized that she was dependent on her No Doubt band member Tony Kanal likely because of her dyslexia, which robbed her of self-confidence.
Fortunately, her children are having an easier time in school than she did, and Stefani revealed that she is thankful that their school system has more of an awareness of learning issues without passing judgement on the kids for their struggles. “They have these incredible teachers and schools and they don’t have to have shame about it. They understand that their brain functions in a different way,” she said.
Pushing through unaddressed dyslexia must have been difficult for Stefani, especially working in the music industry and writing her own songs. But with all things considered, it seems like both she and her children have been able to find the silver lining and focus on how their struggles make them unique. Stefani is a great role model for her children--they have some big shoes to fill with what they can achieve!
