Exclusive: Shania Twain Couldn't Sing or Speak After Ex's Betrayal
Credit: Ruven Afanador
Country singers know a lot about heartache!
Shania Twain is "tired of suppressing [herself]" when it comes to talking about the unraveling of her marriage and betrayal at the hands of her best friend. In the June issue of REDBOOK, Twain, 45, candidly speaks about the breakup of her 14-year-marriage to music producer Robert "Mutt" Lange after his affair with her close friend Marie-Anne Thiebaud.
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"I felt that the sooner I could relax about my secrets, the sooner I'd find the relief that comes with release," she explains. "Nothing like getting it out there in the sunshine and fresh air."
So just what did it feel like when she found out about her former best friend and ex-husband's affair? "It was like I was kicked off my own bus while it was moving full speed ahead, and I landed in the dirt and everything I had was thrown out after me. And after tumbling and getting a mouthful of dirt, I had to try to stand up, then figure out where I was and start walking."
Twain says it took about eight months before she realized, "Yes, I'm still me, and yes, I'm a mother, and yes, I'm a singer and a songwriter, and I can love again, and I have friends, and yes, I'm alive."
The five-time Grammy winner was unable to sing in front of people after the affair because of a condition called dysphonia. "It's a constriction that's both psychological and emotional, and it literally does choke the muscles around the voice box."
"When my marriage broke down, I got so physically constricted that I couldn't get any volume out at all," she recalls. "I couldn't even call for my dog. I realize I couldn't live without singing and had to do something about it. This is why I was like, 'Just get it all out right now. Clean the pipes.'"
Twain's now-husband, Frederic Thiebaud, understood exactly how she was feeling. It was Thiebaud's ex-wife who had an extramarital affair with Twain's ex. "I got to observe Fred going through the same thing that I was, and I admired how he handled it," she explains. "That is where I fell in love with him, because he was so exemplary in every way."
For more of Shania's interview in the June issues of REDBOOK, go to http://www.redbookmag.com/shaniatwain
Tell Us What You Think
14Shania Twain is a lot better looking than that Thiebaud wh***. Her ex doesn't look much better. Maybe they deserve each other.
Because she and Lange share a son, she still has to see Lange. "I do see Mutt through our child and that goes very well. It honestly does. But I do not see Marie-Anne, and I will avoid that at all costs."http://bit.ly/k9rmXR
LOVE SHANIA TWAIN ever since i could talk my mom always said i listened to her and i still do i know every song of hers off by heart and love her
Your ex and your former friend have nothing on you, you out class them in every way. You took the high road and kept taking it. Now you are living well and have a good life, let them stew about that.
I was so impressed with her side of the interview on Oprah... she is one strong woman and handled this Epic 'throw off the speeding bus' with dignity. Oprah needs to stop asking her guests questions and then answering them herself!
Living well is the best revenge, Shania. You might not have wanted your marriage to end, but look how it worked out. You traded UP!! Your new husband is HOT!!!
She is better than me!I would've LAID that so called friend out! That level of betrayl is just terrible. I can't wait for her to record again.
I'm glad she found the courage to go on and find someone else after what her first husband, "Mutt", put her through. She and her new husband both ended up with better than they had.
Great for her! I agree with everyone here though... it's not an exclusive when the interview was done yesterday with Oprah and Redbook. US is just getting their leftovers. Apparently the editor's at US need a dictionary to look up the word "exclusive".
Also, if it's on a magazine, is not exclusive either... hello!
she can't be 45, more like 35!! She is Gorgeous and glad she is feeling better!
She is so pretty. She's better off without him.
This is not an exclusive. She was on Oprah yesterday for crying out loud.
I love her!!!!!