In the February issue of Elle, rock n’ roll’s Gwen Stefani gives it to you straight, admitting that her marriage to rocker Gavin Rossdale (41) isn’t perfect, pregnancy sort of sucked, and that she’s a Xerox of Madonna.

On Madonna:
“It’s weird that we have all these similarities. Madonna’s had us over to dinner and stuff. She’s always been very nice to me…I remember telling Madonna I was going to do an 80s dance record and she rolled her eyes, because I think when you’ve lived through it like she did, she’s like ‘Whatever.’ But a lot of my influence came from her early work, like directly, like a Xerox.”

On her middle class upbringing:
“The hotel maid walked by today, and she’s really pretty and she probably comes from Poland. And here I am about to spend a lot of money on room service and I was thinking, I could have been a maid.”

On what her fans say:
“People always say the same things. That I’m smaller than they expected and that I look better in real life. Which is kind of a back-handed compliment.”

On her marriage:
“I mean, of course me and Gavin have problems, sometimes. Everyone does. We’ve been together for over 10 years. This is, like, the real deal.”

On 8-month-old son Kingston:
“He’s pretty rad…Kingston is so chill. He goes with me everywhere, ’cause I’m still nursing. He’s been to every studio in L.A., New York, London. He lives up to his name – total Rasta boy. He gives me real balance. You can go 100 miles an hour, but you have to stop to hang out with him.”

On her difficult pregnancy:
“I thought I was going to be one of those Mother Nature girls. I figured, I’ll just squeeze it out, ’cause I’m really strong and I work out and stuff.

However, I would be seriously crying before I went onstage. I didn’t know how I was going to get through the tour, putting on nine costume changes on a stage in front of 12,000 people every night. And I didn’t want people to know [I was pregnant]. I didn’t want it to become the Gwen Circus Freak Show – ‘Watch it grow onstage.’”

While she was pregnant, and still performing on tour, Gwen Stefani realized she wasn’t the superwoman she’d long assumed she was.

"I thought I was going to be one of those Mother Nature girls," the singer, 37, tells Elle magazine for its February issue, about childbirth. "I figured, I’ll just squeeze it out, ’cause I’m really strong and I work out and stuff."

Only, instead, she was surprised to find herself short of breath and not functioning at 100 percent before giving birth in May to son Kingston Rossdale.

"I would be seriously crying before I went onstage," she recalls. "I didn’t know how I was going to get through the tour, putting on nine costume changes on a stage in front of 12,000 people every night. And I didn’t want people to know (I was pregnant). I didn’t want to become the Gwen Freak Circus Show, ’Watch it grow onstage.’ "

But that was then. Now, "Kingston is so chill," says the proud mom. "He goes with me everywhere, ’cause I’m still nursing. He’s been to every studio in L.A., New York, London. He lives up to his name, total Rasta boy."

Then there are the tangible pleasures he provides. "He gives me real balance. You can go 100 miles an hour, but you still have to stop to hang out with him," she says.

As for life with her British rocker husband Gavin Rossdale, the two split their time between houses in London and Los Angeles, Stefani admits, "Of course me and Gavin have problems, sometimes. Everyone does. We’ve been together for over 10 years."

For instance, it was not until after they tied the knot in 2002 that she learned he was the father of an illegitimate child, who is now a teenager.

But, she also says of their relationship, "This is, like, the real deal."

Gwen Stefani was out shopping in Beverly Hills with the coolest baby in Hollywood Kingston. Below are highlights from a recent interview Gwen did with USA Today:

On expanding her family:
"I pray that I can have another baby," she says. "I mean, it’s such a miracle to have one. And there’s so much I still want to do, because who knows? Things could be a lot harder a few years from now. I mean, I’m not at the beginning of my career. I’m on a ticking clock. And I don’t want to miss anything."

On life with Kingston:
"There’s this huge team of us always hanging out together, so he gets to see the same people every day," Stefani says. "And he’s this very cool, chilled-out little guy. He’s just like another person, except that he’s super-cute and super-entertaining."

On losing her pregnancy weight in only a few months:
"That was one of the hardest things for me – the pressure of, ’OK, I need to get into shape so that I can put this record out.’ If I didn’t have that pressure, I don’t think I would have gotten the baby weight off so quickly."

Gwen Stefani stepped out with husband Gavin Rossdale and baby Kingston, who was sporting a hairdo like father like son. This is the coolest family in Hollywood. Little Kingston is always well dressed with the latest baby fashion, and he’s always trying new hair dos. Watch out there’s a new A-List baby in town.

Gwen Stefani performed her best version of Wind It Up on Letterman, and like the incredible mom she is, Gwen brought along baby Kingston. Kingston even got a cute Letterman shirt. It’s so nice to see a pop star that is also a great mom with values. The first picture below is one from the other night I threw in the mix, and the rest are from the Letterman appearance.