Music may be the food of love, but pop star romances can be the
stuff of nightmares — and one fatal mistake can bring them crashing down.
Shania Twain has been happily married to her second husband, Frédéric Thiébaud,
for over a decade. But the pair's relationship began under very unexpected circumstances.
In December 1993, Twain married her first husband, music producer Mutt Lange, who helped
the songstress launch an incredibly successful career. By 2008, however, their collaborating
days were over after Lange was accused of having an affair with Twain's close friend, Marie-Ann
Thiébaud. At the time, Marie-Ann was married to Frédéric Thiébaud. Twain and her husband split,
and their divorce was finalized in 2010. Frédéric also divorced his wife, and he struck up a very
close bond with Twain after both had gone through a terrible heartbreak. In 2011, she told Redbook:
"I got to observe Fred going through the same thing I was and I admired how he handled it.
That is where I fell in love with him because he was exemplary in every way."
Twain and Frédéric wed on New Year's Day 2011,
and they have been going strong ever since, with the country star telling People magazine in 2020:
"I'm sure a lot of people say, 'I'm never going to love again. I never
want to fall in love again.' Songs have been written about that. I'm
really glad that that got turned around for me, and that's what this relationship is."
"I would say I'm a survivor, and that is where my comeback spirit comes in, really."
British model Pattie Boyd was married to Beatles star guitarist George Harrison from 1966 to 1977.
Several factors caused the end of their marriage, including Harrison's drug use and infidelity;
for example, the rocker had an affair with Ringo Starr's wife, Maureen Starkey. However,
Harrison was not entirely at fault for the end of their marriage. Before the
couple split, Boyd fell in love with Harrison's close friend Eric Clapton,
forging one of music history's most talked about love affairs.
Clapton didn't hide his fascination with his new girlfriend, either. In fact, he wrote "Layla"
— one of his most famous songs — about her. Decades later, she recalled to People magazine:
"I knew it was about me. And I was rather nervous because I thought,
'If George hears this, I'm sure he'll guess it's for me, as well.' George and I hadn't split up,
and I was trying to hang onto him, but Eric was trying to steer me away. I was torn."
Boyd ended her marriage to Harrison in 1977 and wed Clapton in 1979, though that didn't
last either; the pair split in 1988 after Clapton was caught having an affair of his own. In a later
interview with The New York Times, Clapton stated that his relationship with Harrison had not been
strained after he married his good friend's wife. The late Beatle was even once quoted as saying:
"I'd rather she be with him than some dope."
Legendary singer Frank Sinatra married his wife Nancy Barbato in 1939 but soon began an
affair with Ava Gardner that was made public in 1950. Sinatra had long been known for his
extramarital affairs, but his liaison with Gardner in particular caught a lot of flak. He was labeled
a cheater while Gardner was criticized for getting involved with a married man.
Around that time, Ol' Blue Eyes' professional life was just as messy. In the early 1950s,
MGM ended his contract and Columbia Records dropped him. Two years would
pass before Capitol Records scooped him up.
Sinatra and Barbato divorced in 1951, and he married Gardner that same year. Unfortunately,
he and his new wife faced a number of obstacles in their marriage. The relationship became
turbulent early on, and they fought in public constantly. Both stars were consumed by jealousy,
they were unfaithful to one another, and Gardner had two abortions because she reportedly feared
their relationship wasn't stable enough for children. Sinatra and Gardner called
off their marriage in 1953, though their divorce wouldn't be finalized until 1957.
Country music singer Blake Shelton has said he felt romantic feelings when he and Miranda
Lambert hit the stage together to perform at the CMT 100 Greatest Duets Concert in
2005. The only problem? Shelton was married to his first wife, Kaynette Williams, and Lambert
was dating country singer Jeff Allen McManus. Shelton and Lambert denied having an affair,
but the former divorced his wife in 2006 and began dating Lambert soon after. The pair wed in 2011.
"I've never felt a stronger bond with— not only with her,
but with any other human being in my life."
There were plenty more cheating rumors throughout
Shelton and Lambert's own relationship, and by 2015, their marriage was over as well.
In 2018, word got out that Lambert had struck up a romance with fellow musician Evan Felker,
who was apparently still married at the time. After this story broke,
Shelton offered up a vague tweet about "karma" but was quick to suggest that it wasn't actually
about his ex. Regardless, McManus took a swipe at Shelton in a since-deleted tweet. He said:
"You know, I've always given you the benefit of the doubt and chalked it up to just being human,
but you must be one arrogant SOB to pop off something like this."
Shelton married his third wife, Gwen Stefani,
in 2021, and Lambert married an NYPD cop named Brendan McLoughlin in 2019.
Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that Solange Knowles hit Jay-Z in an elevator
at the Met Gala in 2014. After TMZ shared the security camera footage with the world,
Beyoncé, Jay-Z, and Solange released a statement apologizing for the
incident. Though they didn’t say why Solange attacked her brother-in-law,
many believed she was upset over Jay-Z's reported infidelity.
Since then, Beyoncé and Jay-Z haven't shied away from their marital issues. On 2016's Lemonade,
the songstress hinted at infidelity on Jay-Z's part with songs like "Don't Hurt
Yourself" and "Pray You Catch Me." On the 4:44 track "Kill Jay Z," Jay-Z's lyrics
suggest he provoked Solange, and that by being unfaithful, he almost lost Beyoncé.
In a 2017 interview with The New York Times, Jay-Z opened up about
working through his infidelities and mending things with Beyoncé. He said:
"The hardest thing is seeing pain on someone's face that
you caused and then have to deal with yourself. Most people don't
want to do that. You don't want to look inside yourself. And so you walk away."
"You know, you have to acknowledge, you have to acknowledge the pain. You have to let that person
have their say."
Country singer Jason Aldean may have found marital bliss with his wife, Brittany Aldean,
but their relationship started as an affair that made country news headlines. In 2012,
the singer was caught cheating on his wife of 12 years, Jessica Ussery, with Brittany,
who was a former American Idol contestant and NBA cheerleader. Instead of denying
the affair, Jason came forward and apologized. He wrote on Facebook:
"The truth is that I screwed up. I had too much to drink,
let the party get out of hand and acted inappropriately at a bar."
After trying to fix his marriage, Aldean and Ussery ultimately filed for divorce in April
2013. In 2014, E! News reported that Jason was officially dating Brittany. The two attended the
2014 CMT Awards, marking their first public outing together. That same year, the country
star told Billboard he was tired of people continuing to discuss his affair. He declared:
"I'm not blaming anybody. Obviously, a lot of that stuff is my own deal. But I could go on
posting something on my page right now that says, 'Hey, we just donated $5 million to a children's
cancer research center,' and somebody would get on there and go, 'You're an a--hole cheater.'"
Aldean and Brittany wed in 2015 and later welcomed two children.
Grammy winner Alicia Keys and her husband, music producer Swizz Beatz, did not enjoy a fairytale
beginning to their romance. Keys was accused of having an affair with Beatz around 2008,
who was married to his first wife, Mashonda Tifrere. Though Beatz stated that he and Tifrere
were no longer together when he connected with Keys, Tifrere had a differing opinion.
In 2009, Tifrere alleged on Twitter that Keys was the reason for her marriage ending,
stating that the singer, quote, "assisted in destroying a family." She added:
"I feel that after [one] and a half years of you hiding this affair and acting like
it [doesn't] exist, that now is the time to confront it, since you talk so openly
about it now... You have no idea how much pain I was caused because of this affair."
In May 2010, Beatz and Tifrere's divorce was finalized. That same month,
Keys and Beatz announced their engagement — and that they were expecting. The couple
wed two months later and welcomed their son, Egypt, that October. Fortunately,
Keys, Swizz, and Tifrere are now on good terms. In 2018, Keys told People magazine:
"Mashonda and Swizz and I worked and prayed together and allowed the space
for everyone to be heard. It's one of the things I'm most proud of."
"It is a beautiful partnership. I'm very,
very proud of that. It's a real thing, and it's possible."
In September 2022, Maroon 5 singer Adam Levine found himself in hot water when Instagram model
Sumner Stroh came forward and accused the artist of cheating on his wife, Victoria's Secret model
Behati Prinsloo. Not only did Stroh claim that she and Levine had a year-long affair,
but she even shared screenshots that allegedly showed the singer asking Stroh if he could name
his third child after her. Meanwhile, multiple women came forward to claim that Levine had also
inappropriately messaged them on Instagram. The singer denied cheating on his wife but
confirmed he went too far when speaking to women online. In an Instagram post, he wrote:
"I did not have an affair, nevertheless, I crossed the line during a regrettable period in my life."
Prinsloo stayed silent and did not publicly comment on the allegations.
She even publicly supported her husband when he performed at an October charity event.
The couple appeared to have weathered the storm, and the affair allegations
died down by the New Year. In January 2023, Prinsloo gave birth to their third child,
but there's no word on what they named their baby. And in March,
the two made a rare appearance together when attending Vanity Fair's Oscars after party.
Photos showed the couple smiling, with Levine even giving his wife a sweet kiss on the cheek.
Although Johnny Cash and June Carter Cash's marriage lasted almost four decades,
their relationship began as an affair. The iconic singer's first wife was Vivian Liberto, whom he
married in 1954; they later had four daughters together. However, Johnny and Vivian's family
life wasn't easy — one of the couple's daughters, Rosanne Cash, shared in the documentary My Darling
Vivian that the kids had to grapple with both their father's addiction to drugs and their
mother's mental health struggles. Nevertheless, Johnny dedicated his first #1 hit, "I Walk the
Line," to his wife. The song, which was released in 1956, was a promise that the singer would
remain faithful to Vivian as he toured on the road. However, that all came crashing down when
Johnny began his affair with singer June Carter, prompting Vivian to file for divorce in 1966.
Johnny and June married two years later. In a 2019 interview with
People magazine, Rosanne Cash noted that the circumstances were hard on her mother,
though she didn't resent June for how things played out. She said:
"It seemed inevitable, though it was so painful for my mom. I had two really
good examples from women in my life. My mom gave me this powerful sense of discipline,
family, mothering, and detail orientation. And June gave me
this sense of expansiveness and how to live life as a performer."
The couple remained married until June died in May
2003. Johnny would die just four months later, in September 2003.
If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues,
help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration
website or contact SAMHSA's National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).