Really: who doesn’t love Gwen Stefani? No one we know, certainly.

ELLE met the singer for the October 2012 issue, leading writer Katie Mulloy to describe her as ‘our girl-crush long before the phrase existed, being, in those mid-1990s years, all that a teenage girl wanted to be.’ Sixteen years after the release of No Doubt's first hit 'Don't Speak', we're still smitten.

In the interview, Gwen admits to finding motherhood difficult, saying that ‘being a mom is hard’, and that 'Push and Shove' – No Doubt’s sixth album – was about ‘being overwhelmed and the balancing and trying to do all of it.’

Get ready for a proper swoon-fest as, also in this issue, Aaron Taylor-Johnson talks about his ambition to ‘be a father and make a happy home.’ Plus, check out our round-up of the top 50 cultural stories to pay attention to this autumn. And have you ever wondered what beauty experts tell their friends? We asked, they answered.

Elsewhere, ELLE’s fashion insiders expound on the season’s gothic trend, explain how to wear leather trousers, debate the merits of hi-top versus low trainers, and deliver a master class on wearing ankle socks. Meanwhile, Avril Mair meets Guillaume Henry, designer of label-of-the-moment Carven.

It's an issue full of must-reads, and what makes it even more impressive is that the talented winners of our Edited by the Interns competition contributed to the whole shebang. Read all about them in the issue and check out their blog here.

See these and other features in the October 2012 issue, on newsstands now, or download the digital edition through the Apple Newsstand. Subscribe here.

See Gwen Stefani's Style File here...