NEW YORK— Gwen Stefani is leaving “The Voice” this winter, when Christina Aguilera returns, but she’s not done with the NBC show yet.

She said in an interview Friday she’d love to return. Now about halfway through Season 9, Stefani already misses her show family.

Gwen Stefani will step away from “The Voice” when Christina Aguilera returns this winter, but she says she’ll miss her show family. The Associated Press

“They’re all so smart, they’re all lovely. They all got my back. I love them,” she said.

As for the rest of her life, she’s trying to live in the here and now and enjoy a few “priceless surprises,” a hashtag she’s taken on for a private concert Saturday night for MasterCard cardholders.

The California native and mom of three oozed joy backstage ahead of the exclusive appearance, so what’s got Stefani so happy?

“Everything. It’s exciting. I’m in New York. Just that alone. … I mean, I never went anywhere when I was a little girl,” she smiled.

And there’s also the birth of her third child, Apollo, about 19 months ago, and the rest of this season on “The Voice.”

“I can’t wait to get back on set and do the lives. It’s so fun. It’s the funnest thing I think I’ve ever done, and so inspiring,” Stefani said.

So if she were a contestant rather than a judge on “The Voice,” who would she pick as a mentor?

“Impossible to answer, and I will not,” she laughed. “But I would say, I know that I’ve worked with Pharrell before and I know what that feels like. I’ve worked with Adam and I know what that feels like. I’ve never worked with Blake so I don’t know what that would be like, but I do know that me and Blake have a lot of similar tastes in people, in voices, which is a shock.”

Stefani’s has put in some writing and studio time on a new solo album but hasn’t announced its timing.

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