Gwen Stefani was well and truly overcome with emotion on live TV this week.
On June 19, the 53-year-old former No Doubt singer appeared on BBC's The One Show to talk about her forthcoming single 'True Babe' and her concert with Pink this weekend in London's Hyde Park.
The 'Hollaback Girl' hitmaker also spoke to Alex Jones, 46, and Jermaine Jenas, 40, about her profound admiration for British music - particularly Ska bands.
Stefani revealed that she and her older brother, Eric, used to listen to bands like Madness, The Specials, and The Selecter - and specifically mentioned Selecter singer Pauline Black as her personal hero.
Watch as Stefani suddenly breaks down in tears:The 'Rich Girl' singer gushed that Black was the only girl in the ska scene at the time, and shared that she performed one of her songs at her high school talent show.
"Everything about my style was trying to take from her because her style was so extreme. I’m a huge fan, and I wouldn’t be me without The Selecter and all those bands," she said.
To her surprise, the two presenters of The One Show had a special treat for her. They played a video message from Black herself who expressed her delight at having influenced Stefani and sent her lots of support and love.
When the camera cut back to the 'Luxurious' singer in the studio, she was clearly overwhelmed by the message and couldn't hold back her tears as she exclaimed: "I'm going to cry... these are real tears. I'm shaking. I can't believe that, that was incredible."
When Jenas mentioned that he could understand why Stefani was emotional, she playfully responded: "No, you don't understand ANYTHING, OK?" and the lighthearted exchange brought laughter from both the studio audience and Jones said: "You tell him, Gwen!"
Reflecting on the impact of the heartwarming video message, the musician expressed her gratefulness to the BBC for arranging it and declared her love for Black.
"She was my idol when I was like 13, and she just talked to me!" she said, still visibly overcome with emotion by the surprising encounter.
The Grammy-winning musician rose to fame as the co-founder, lead vocalist, and the primary songwriter of the ska-inspired rock band No Doubt.
The band - which also consisted of Adrian Young, Tony Kanal, and Tom Dumont - was formed in 1986, and consistently performed and released songs from the late 80s to 2004, and then from 2009 to 2015. Together they put out some iconic hits, including 'Don’t Speak', 'Just a Girl,' 'Hey Baby', and 'Underneath It All'.
After the group's brief hiatus in 2004, Stefani embarked on a successful solo career where she released hit tunes like 'The Sweetest Escape' and 'What Are You Waiting For?'.
As aforementioned, Stefani will release her first solo song in over two years on Friday.
