The 13 Saddest Things About Shania Twain's Life
13.
A Tough Childhood- Growing up, the singer lived in Timmins, Ontario with her mother,
stepfather, and three younger siblings.
Twain’s parents faced financial issues as they struggled to get by and there was insufficient
food to feed the family.
Twain mentioned that living in poverty would result in the family to make most of what
they have.
This included eating dry bread, brown sugar, and boiled milk; a dish they called goulash.
She also recalled a time during winter when she was forced to wear bread bags to keep
her feet warm since her parents could not afford to get her snow boots.
In an interview with Rolling Stone, she stated she remembered feeling envious of her school
mates who ate roast beef sandwiches and apple slices during lunch time when she only had
mustard and mayonnaise in her sandwich.
She went to say that she knew asking for a bite to eat from the other student’s lunch
would further humiliate her more.
Even though she never felt brave enough to ask her friends for some food, she said she
never regretted her childhood.
12.
Abusive Home Life- As a young child, Twain witnessed abuse at home.
Her mother battled depression, and her mom and the whole family felt the emotional and
physical abuse by her stepfather Jerry for years.
The singer recalled a time when she watched her stepfather ram her mother’s head into
the toilet over and over which caused her to become unconscious.
Twain was so scared, thinking that he killed her.
She stated that particular incident caused her to go into shock as she honestly believed
her mother died right before her eyes.
Aside from abusing her mother, her stepfather also mistreated her.
Despite the kindness, he taught her; he was verbally and sexually abusive.
When Twain was 11 years old, she finally found the courage to stand up to her stepfather
and ran up behind him with a chair and threw it against up.
But before she got a chance to escape, he punched her in the jaw.
Twain did not reveal her living situation to the school’s authorities as she feared
this would lead to them tearing her family apart.
Within time, she was able to persuade her mother to run away with her siblings to a
shelter for a short while before her mom eventually went back to her stepdad.
11.
Conquering her fears- According to the “queen of country pop,” she stated that if it was
based on her decisions, she wouldn’t have never become a country singer.
Twain’s mother supported and encouraged her daughter’s singer career.
The country superstar told ABC News that she would have let her fear consume her and backed
away from singing entirely without the assistance as being the center of attention isn’t something
she’s comfortable with.
From the age of eight, Twain started singing at bars to earn money so she could help her
family.
During this time, she made twenty bucks from midnight, and 1 am for the remaining customers
after the bar closed down.
Even though she conveyed a disapproval for singing in the bar, she truly thought that
this was her way expressing herself.
She stated that she loved music and had a deep passion for it which helped her survive.
10.
Her first song- The singing sensation penned her first songs when she was just ten years
old.
Her first songs include “Is Love a Rose” and “Just like the Storybooks,” which
were inspirations from fairytales.
She revealed that writing songs were completely different from performing them because it
was like documenting art.
However not all her songs were cheerful and uplifting.
One of her songs titled, “Mama Won’t You Come Out to Play,” was about having hope
for her mother.
Growing up Twain’s mom isolated herself from the family.
She stated that her mother lived in isolation and didn’t have the boldness to break free
and face life, which prompted her to write that song to invite her mom to come out of
her shell.
9.
Two Time Tragedy - In an unexpected tragedy, both of Twain’s parents were killed when
she was 21 years old.
Her parents were on the road when their car struck a fully loaded logging truck.
Without a mother or a father, Twain raised her younger siblings.
But despite the tragic loss of her parents, she grew ambitious and landed a solid job
singing show tunes at a resort near her home.
The steady job provided her family with a secure upbringing.
She eventually bought a house, a truck and settled in.
But after her siblings grew up and moved out, the singer found herself alone.
Twain then decided to turn her focus to her singing career.
Her talent and drive eventually landed her into a successful singer, so this does go
to show that there is some light at the end of the tunnel.
8.
Cheating Spouse- Twain met her first husband record producer Robert “Mutt” Lange early
in her career.
The two collaborated ideas and opinions on Twain’s album and he gave her the confidence
when it came to writing material for her songs.
Their friendship bloomed into something more, and they got married in 1993.
It seemed like their marriage was meant to last until they dropped a bombshell.
In 2008, a spokesperson announced the pair was splitting after Lange cheated on Twain
with Marie-Anne Thiebaud who was Twain’s best friend.
The singer stated her heartbreak and separation took a toll on her life.
She said that when your husband leaves you for your best friend, your self-esteem can
take a big hit.
During the separation, she cried a lot and even took five baths a day.
She even begged Marie-Anne to leave Lange in an email.
However, Twain soon found comfort in the arms of her ex-best friend’s former husband Frederic
Thiebaud and if anyone knew what she was going through, it was him.
The two got married in Puerto Rico back in 2011 .
7.
Dysphonia- During her separation with her ex-husband, she developed dysphonia.
It is a physiological and physical disorder that doesn’t allow her to sing properly.
When she sings the muscles constrict the voice box which prevents air from flowing correctly.
Twain struggled to regain her powerful singing voice and expressed that writing a book and
her reality show helped her voice herself.
Thanks to therapy, Twain was able to perform again and she came back with a slightly different
voice than before.
While fans were quick to notice her deeper voice, Twain herself was still adjusting to
the changes.
She eventually came to accept that she was a different singer and has made peace that
her new voice was here to say.
Despite an emotional obstacle, she stated that she has learned just to keep pushing
on.
6.
Panic attack- Being betrayed by your husband or best friend is the worst pain imaginable,
but both of them together is even more horrific.
The pain that Twain suffered through caused her physical and mental anguish.
She even recounted a time when she confronted her former friend who triggered a panic attack
when it came time to see her.
The singer stated that during this time she wasn’t able to completely express how she
truly felt due to her high level of anxiety but merely told her that she was a terrible
person.
Even after Twain pleaded for an explanation about the affair, she never got details or
closure from her ex-husband and ex-best friend.
Even though, she is happily married now she states that she does not keep in contact with
Marie-Anne and will never forgive either of them.
5.
Fertility Issues- Despite a happy ending, early into her second marriage the singer
struggled to have a baby.
While Twain and her husband have kids from their former marriages, they knew they wanted
to keep at least trying to have a baby of their own.
At the time the singer was 45 years old and understood that conceiving would be difficult
at her age.
They sought different options which included acupuncture, fertility drugs, medication and
vitamins with no avail.
Frustrated and close to hopelessness, the singer even considered a surrogate as a possible
idea.
Even though she has stepdaughter, a friend stated she would still love the idea of having
her own daughter.
A close source of the couple reveals that no matter what choice they decide, she knows
it’ll make them both happy since she just loves being a mom.
4.
Long Lost Father-When Twain was two years old, her mother and father split.
Her stepfather came into the picture shortly after and she never got a chance to be with
her biological father.
She revealed to ABC News that she eventually reached out to him after the birth of her
son.
Twain stated that her father is someone she wants to reintroduce back into her life and
that it was a compelling moment.
She also wanted her son to get to know his grandfather.
Twain also mentioned that he was surprised that he reached out to her as well, citing
him a humble but charming man.
3.
Stalkerish Behavior- Back in 2011, former surgeon Giovanni Palumbo finally admitted
to stalking the country songbird after he continually harassed her.
Several instances included sending her dozens of unwanted love letters and appearing at
her grandmother’s funeral.
A psychiatric test deemed Palumbo had narcissistic personality disorder and bipolar disorder.
During his hearing, he was kept in jail, and Palumbo said he would undergo any treatment
plan given by the court and he would no longer try to contact Twain.
Despite all this, he managed to say that he still thought Twain was a wonderful person.
2.
Final Farewell- After announcing a retirement from performing back in 2004, she surprised
many fans when she released news of a farewell tour called Rock This Country.
Started in June 2015, she hit 48 cities across the country, including destinations like Nashville,
Fresno, and Miami.
The tour concluded in late October of that year.
Her sudden goodbye led many fans to be saddened, but they were also anxious to nab a ticket
to see the famous songstress.
With a string of battles that she faced, many fans understood her to need to settle down.
But her tour did not disappoint as she performed over 72 shows in North America that grossed
over $69 million dollars.
1.
Temporary Hiatus- Due to personal relationships and health issues, the iconic singer had a
burden on her shoulder and had remained out of the spotlight for awhile.
But Twain had eager fans flocking to purchase tickets for her final tour.
But shortly after, the singer delivered another surprising announcement in February 2017 that
she is coming back with another album!
It’s been more than ten years since Twain has released an album, so fans are more than
excited to see her in the works!
Even though touring is out of the question at the moment, she says writing songs is therapeutic
for her and has helped her immensely to move on emotionally.
Twain is an amazing example that through all the hardships and downfalls a person can face,
you can still come out on top!