It's no secret that Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani are an item, but what fans may not know is that their relationship came at a perfect time. In fact, in Shelton's own words, Stefani saved his life.

"I tell people all the time, 'Gwen saved my life last year.' She did," Shelton tells CMT's Katie Cook (quote via Vanity Fair). "I think she’d probably tell you something similar about me."

He expands on that idea to the Tennessean: "Sometimes when you think things couldn’t be worse and you can’t make it through another day, you never know what’s right around the corner that can save your life — that’s literally what happened for me. The fact that we were able to be there for each other and relate to each other in that way like nobody else on Earth ... There’s so much out there that is crazy, to have a shoulder and somebody that can be there for you and relate and understand, it literally saved my life.”

Shelton and Stefani confirmed their relationship publicly in November of 2015, after Shelton and Miranda Lambert separated in July and Stefani and Gavin Rossdale announced their divorce in August.

“The first thing that comes in your mind is, ‘Golly, I just got out of a relationship. Do I really want to jump right into this again? And, can I even trust you? Are we going to do this right?’” Shelton recalls. “Coming out of our situations, we both had trouble letting our walls down, and we both had trust issues.”

While fans will likely never know the details of his and Lambert's divorce, Shelton is an open book on his new record, If I'm Honest -- both regarding the searing pain of a breakup and the sweetness of a new relationship. The record begins with "Came Here to Forget," and it's the kickoff song for a reason.

“I love that it kind of has a dark feel to it, but there’s a little, tiny glimmer of hope in there, too,” Shelton explains to the Tennessean. “That’s a good one to throw out there first because it touches on both subjects, going through the breakup trying to forget about them and now I’m meeting the person that’s helping me get there.”

Of "Go Ahead and Break My Heart," which Shelton and Stefani wrote together, the country singer explains that he finished half the song, sang it into a voice memo and texted it to Stefani. Two days later, she sent him back the nearly finished track.

“There’s nothing about this song that isn’t 100-percent the truth,” he says.

Also included on the disc, as the very last song, is "Savior's Shadow," arguably the most spiritual song that Shelton has ever released. He wrote it in the throes of his divorce, and it's based on a dream he had.

“I feel like I was given this song for a reason, and I need to do something with it,” he says. “We tried our best to get it out to as many people as we can. And so far, the reaction has been really special.”

If I’m Honest is available on iTunes.

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