Before No Doubt would go on to become a household name and Grammy award-winning band, Gwen Stefani and Tony Kanal were young and in love. As Stefani told Howard Stern, the two were still in their teens — Stefani was 17 and Kanal was 16 — when they began dating, and the songstress was head over heels. "Tony was my first real boyfriend and I was tragically obsessed with him," she told Variety. "I depended on Tony for so many things, like to help me with my homework, everything just to survive and live."
According to Stefani, she was the one who initiated the relationship, telling Spin that she "forced" Tony to date her. "He wasn't even interested. When we made out that first night, I think he thought it was more of a one-night kiss. But then we started going out and after the first year, I was going 'When are we getting married?'"
Even after their relationship dissolved, the No Doubt frontwoman remained attached to her ex. "When we broke up, I still forced Tony to kiss me," she admitted to Spin. "I was in denial. I might have lost the title of girlfriend, but in my eyes we were still together. For, like, a year, he didn't have to come to my house when I demanded it. He didn't have to do anything, but when he felt like it, I was there. It was horrible."
