Miranda Lambert Fulfilled Her 'Motherly Thing' after Marrying NYPD Officer Who She Met on the Job

When country stars Miranda Lambert and Blake Shelton met, they could not deny their strong connection even though they were involved with other people. However, their whirlwind romance ended horribly.

Before meeting her current husband, singer-songwriter Miranda Lambert was married to TV personality Blake Shelton. When Lambert met Shelton, she knew that he was a married man.

He, in turn, fell in love with her regardless of them being committed to other people at the time. The "Austin" singer realized that he was madly in love when he and Lambert were on stage singing together.

In an episode of "Behind the Music," Shelton admitted that he had never felt that kind of chemistry with anyone before performing with Lambert on stage:

"I've never had that kind of experience with anybody. I was a married guy, you know? Standing up there and singing with somebody and going, 'Man, this shouldn't be happening.'"

In that instance, Lambert felt their intense connection, too, despite her engagement to fellow country singer Jeff Allen McManus and confessed that she was well aware of Shelton being married.

Talking to People in 2011, she said, "I knew he was married. I knew better, like; this is off-limits." Though Lambert did not know what to make of it, that did not stop her and Shelton from exploring a romantic relationship.

Shelton divorced his first wife and high school sweetheart, Kaynette Williams (whom he wed in 2003) in 2006. Lambert also broke off her engagement so they could be together.

The pair wed in May 2011, but their destiny did not go as they had hoped. Friction ignited when Shelton expressed his desire to have kids, but Lambert did not seem keen on the idea because of their busy careers.

"That's the one thing I want to plan the right way because I don't want to have children and raise them on a plane or a bus," she revealed. The "Nashville Star" alum stated she and Shelton were at the peak of their careers and were having fun, and did not think they would want to change anything:

"Right now, we're both at our peak and having a blast, and I don't think either one of us is thinking about changing a thing."

Their union ended in divorce in July 2015 after four years of marriage and following speculations of them cheating on one another. But Lambert set the record straight afterward and revealed Shelton was the unfaithful one within their marriage.

Sources close to her disclosed that the Oklahoma native was the one who strayed with another country singer. In a bitter divorce proceeding, TMZ reported that Shelton's law team made Lambert look like the bad guy with the help of a powerful PR firm that attacked her soon after signing the divorce papers.

The duo went through a messy divorce, and Shelton confessed that he was utterly heartbroken and had hit rock bottom following the end of his marriage to Lambert. In an interview with Billboard, he said the experience was like being in the "middle of hell."

The "The Voice!" coach even stayed at his pal Adam Levine's house to cope with the grief of his union. He also found a friend in Gwen Stefani, who was also going through a high-profile divorce from her husband of 20 years, Gavin Rossdale.

The more they confided in each other about their marital fallouts, the closer they became because Shelton admitted he had fallen in love with the pop singer.

It all happened so fast, but he wondered whether or not she felt the same way about him, and it turned out that Stefani did. As for how Lambert - who also found the "love of her life" after their divorce - felt about their relationship, it did not come as a shock. A source told E! News:

"She was not surprised to hear of the romance between Blake and Gwen. They were always pretty flirty."

HOW LAMBERT MET THE LOVE OF HER LIFE

In an interview with The New York Times in October 2019, Lambert revealed she met her current husband, Brenden McLoughlin, in November 2018. The couple crossed paths when she was doing press for the country music group Pistol Annies record.

When the lady band appeared on "Good Morning America," McLoughlin was doing security there for the show. Lambert's friends from the Annies saw him there and figured that she had to start seeing other people.

The ladies, Ashley Monroe and Angaleena Presley decided to play matchmakers and invited Lambert's future spouse without her knowing, plucking him for her. Lambert's security guard named Tom was in on it too and said to her: "He's here. And he's pretty."

After three months of courtship, the pair got engaged. Friends of the duo revealed that they quickly bonded over McLoughlin's career as a New York City police officer. Lambert's father was a long-time detective, and her mother worked as a private investigator.

McLoughlin is from Staten Island and was assigned to the South Midtown Precinct near Times Square. Insiders close to the music star disclosed that he brought a sense of normalcy into her life. Per Us Weekly, the law enforcement officer is currently in his twenties while his wife is in her thirties, making Lambert eight years older than him.

The lovebirds got married in January 2019 during an intimate Tennessee ceremony. In February of that same year, Lambert revealed in an Instagram post, accompanied by images of the bride and groom, that she wed her soulmate. The Texas native expressed that her heart was now whole again:

"In honor of Valentine's Day, I wanted to share some news. I met the love of my life. And we got hitched! My heart is full. Thank you, Brenden McLoughlin, for loving me for me."

The couple quietly dated and kept the news of their wedding a secret for three weeks. Though Lambert has quite a history of moving on fast from past relationships, she explained that her pace with her husband was beneficial for them both.

In an interview with SiriusXM in February 2021, the "Blue Bird" singer said even though they married quickly after their whirlwind romance, they got to know each other:

"We didn't date very long before we got married. And so, we sort of got to just really, really, really, get to know each other. It was just us two with no distraction at my farm outside Nashville. And so, I was really thankful for it because it made us strong."

Before meeting McLoughlin, Lambert was single for a few months and was involved with musician Evan Felker in 2018. In August that year, the "Over You" singer said she was "happily single" in an interview with Tennessean, adding, "Love is a hard road sometimes, and it's been a roller-coaster ride for me."

Her husband also has a complicated past. McLoughlin impregnated another woman while cheating on his then-fiancée, Jackie Bruno. His ex's mother, Carol Bruno, claimed that he attempted to deny his affair and begged her daughter to stay with him.

Carol revealed that Jackie was only going overseas for a couple of months to play soccer and that McLoughlin begged her to marry him before she left, even though he knew that someone else was expecting his child.

He later welcomed a son named Landon with Kaihla Rettinger in November 2018, only three days after meeting Lambert for the first time.

LAMBERT'S SECOND MARRIAGE FULFILLED HER 'MOTHERLY THING'

While his spouse embraced being a stepmother to his child, McLoughlin also inherited a "whole barn full" from her side. When Lambert kicked off CMA Fest with her annual Mutt Nation March in June 2019, she opened up about the cause and her life with him.

McLoughlin was there to support his beautiful wife, too, knowing how much the initiative meant to her. "He's a great guy and, bless his heart, he didn't have any dogs or any animals at all when he came into this relationship, so he inherited a whole barn full," said Lambert.

He later mentioned that he gained 13 dogs and gave Lambert a stepson, and the "Tin Man" singer laughed, stating: "I was like, 'Hey, I got the dogs, you got the kid, we can mix and mingle."

The doting stepmother also revealed, "My stepson is amazing," adding, "I'm loving that whole pause, and I've raised a million dogs, so I feel like I've got that part of my womanly/motherly thing is full, so this is a whole new journey. It's great."

The couple split their time between New York and Nashville, and Lambert stated they have the best of both worlds. They get to see their pet, return to the farm and live a quiet life away from the busy city.

In February 2022, a source exclusively revealed to Us Weekly that McLoughlin and Lambert are trying to have a baby. "She and Brenden decided after their third wedding anniversary that they would start trying. Miranda is thrilled, and Brenden has always wanted to have kids with her," said the insider.

The duo celebrated their three years of marriage in January 2022, and Lambert marked the special occasion with an Instagram post of the couple on the beach.

MCLOUGHLIN MADE A CAREER SHIFT – INSIDE THEIR MARRIAGE

After the pair got married, McLoughlin made a significant change in his life. As Lambert was based full-time in Nashville, his job was in New York City, and a long-distance scenario would have made things difficult for their marriage to work.

Subsequently, he left his job with the New York Police Department after things between him and Lambert became serious. An NYPD DCPI spokesperson, Sergeant Jessica McRorie, revealed to Fox News that McLoughlin was no longer an employee at the department as of February 2020 because he had retired.

Before his exit, he had taken a months-long leave of absence. He then decided to be a part of his wife's security team. An eyewitness who attended one of Lambert's concerts explained that her husband was the security guard before meeting the Hollywood star for her meet and greet in various venues.

In addition, the couple often travels together and goes on road trips amid the ongoing pandemic. Lambert has been collecting vintage trailers since before she met McLoughlin, and they both purchased a brand-new Airstream for traveling.

In an Instagram post, the "Tourist" singer once shared that her beloved spouse was a great travel companion. McLoughlin is also immensely supportive of his dear wife's career and is not afraid to step into her spotlight.

He had a starring role in her 2020 music video for her song, "Settling Down," where they acted as a love-struck couple. Lambert gushed over him in a social media post where she told fans they could expect a promo volume 5 in the video.

She later explained the experience of working with her spouse, saying it was special. The blonde beauty mentioned that she had never had a video in 18 years of her showbiz career with a love interest, adding it was interesting that McLoughlin was her first one.

Like her, he also has a love for animals. When they had their newest member, Tequila, the kitten, he was responsible for bringing it home and revealed it was a stray.