‘No love like it’: Twenty years ago, Bush’s Gavin Rossdale learnt he had a fourth child

September 20, 2026 — 5:00amMusician Gavin Rossdale is best known as the frontman of Bush. Here, the 60-year-old talks about the important women in his life, including his ex-wife Gwen Stefani, current partner Xhoana, and learning he had a fourth child, Daisy Lowe, when she turned 16. Gavin Rossdale reconnected with his mother when he was 27 years old. Getty Images for ParamountMy maternal grandmother, Barbara, lived in Scotland – we’d see her a couple of times a year. She always made rock cakes filled with raisins and I’d sit and eat the whole box.I last saw her 20 years ago, by which time she had Alzheimer’s. She was sitting on a bed in an Edinburgh hospital all dressed up, with her handbag and coat. She was really annoyed at me because she said I was late. I wasn’t late, and I wasn’t taking her out. I played along with it; the smile that she gave me has stayed with me forever.I grew up with my dad [Douglas] from the age of 12, when my parents split. My dad lived until his early 90s and died in 2018. I was the son of a workaholic single father, but his consistency was staggering, and he was rock solid in Mom’s absence. Dad was an incredible man.I properly reconnected with Mom [Barbara] when I was 27. I learnt a lot through her absence. That’s the power of motherhood – that children forgive everything if you’re nice to them. She passed in 2025.I have an older sister, Lorraine, and a younger sister, Soraya. Until the age of four, Lorraine did all the talking for me and terrorised me until I was 12. It’s terrible having a jealous older sister. She used to beat me up. I stood up for myself aged 12 and then we became good friends. The first child never forgives the birth of the second.From the age of 19 to 24, I had a very strong, cool girlfriend who was just wild; it was a beautiful youth love story.My Aunt Maggie, my mom’s sister, has been a maternal figure throughout my life. She was incapacitated in a terrible car accident when I was 16, and lived that way for 35 years. She grew up with me in the same house and introduced me to [David] Bowie records.My celebrity crush was singer-songwriter Polly Jean [PJ] Harvey. She was a goddess. I met Polly at a Shellac show very early on, when she made her first record, Dry [1992].Women have always been a huge inspiration to me, especially in music. Women like Patti Smith, Kim Gordon and Kim Deal are so unique. Patti Smith is an ongoing inspiration. I spoke to her once on the phone and then saw her in person, but she didn’t remember. It was OK, she had a lot going on at the time – I think a close friend had died. She thought I was a journalist.From the age of 19 to 24, I had a very strong, cool girlfriend who was just wild; it was a beautiful youth love story. I had mad love for her. It was serious. My sisters are best friends with her now. She’s married, lives in France, works as a psychotherapist and is super accomplished.I dated another girl around the formation of my band Bush in the early 1990s. She was supportive and sweet and came to the shows.I met Gwen Stefani when Bush took her band No Doubt on tour. We spent 3½ months together and fell in love. [They married in 2002 and divorced in 2016.] I remember that time like it was yesterday. You go through some terrible things and come out the other side, dust yourself off and get on with life.Gwen and I have three children, aged 20, 18 and 12. My greatest achievements are my kids. When they’re doing well and shining, I’m happy.With ex-wife Gwen Stefani in 2014.Getty ImagesI met my girlfriend, Xhoana, in 2023 – I’m really in a good place. She is great at integrating with my kids and makes it seamless and an easy existence. She doesn’t have kids.When I was dating before Xhoana and I met, I kind of kept the two aspects of my life separate. I didn’t want to mix my family life with dating. I wanted to be respectful to my kids and keep home a safe space for them.I found out I had another child, Daisy Lowe, when she turned 16. She is 37 now, recently got married, and is a force of nature. It’s been incredible getting to know her. There is no love like that between a daughter and her dad. Bush play in Sydney on September 23 and in Melbourne on September 25.Get the best of Sunday Life magazine delivered to your inbox every Sunday morning. Sign up for our newsletter.Jane Rocca is a regular contributor to Sunday Life Magazine, Executive Style, The Age EG, columnist and features writer at Domain Review, Domain Living’s Personal Space page. She is a published author of four books.Connect via X or email.From our partners