Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Shania Twain Opens Up About The Harrowing Lengths She Went To Avoid Her Stepdad's Abuse

Shania Twain
Nicky J Sims/Getty Images for Bauer Media

The singer-songwriter revealed to the 'Sunday Times' how she would alter her appearance so there was 'nothing girl about me.'

*The following article contains discussion of sexual assault.

Country music star Shania Twain has a lot to look forward to with a new album and tour in the near future.


Even with so much hope on the horizon, Twain's memories from the past are met with pain and darkness.

In a recent interview with The Sunday Times, she recounted the lengths she would take to try to avoid physical and sexual abuse from her stepfather Jerry.

Twain—who revealed some of the abuse in her 2011 memoir From This Moment On, told The Sunday Times:

"I hid myself, and I would flatten my boobs."
"I would wear bras that were too small for me, and I'd wear two, play it down until there was nothing girl about me."
"Make it easier to go unnoticed."
"Because, oh my gosh, it was terrible - you didn't want to be a girl in my house."

Twain and her two sisters were adopted by Jerry when she was 4 years old. In 1987, he and Twain's mother were killed in a car crash.

Twain also shared her related struggles to "play the glamorous singer."

"I was ashamed of being a girl."
"All of a sudden it was like, 'Well, what's your problem? You know, you're a woman and you have this beautiful body?'"
"What was so natural for other people was so scary for me."
"I felt exploited, but I didn't have a choice now."
"I had to play the glamorous singer, had to wear my femininity more openly or more freely."
"And work out how I'm not gonna get groped, or raped by someone's eyes, and feel so degraded."

People on Twitter were heartbroken to learn what she had to endure and thanked her for sharing her story.









In September, Twain released her single Wake up Dreaming, her first in five years.

The complete album Queen of Me is set to be released early next year before she embarks on her tour in April. Twain is also set to appear as Mrs. Potts in ABC's Beauty and the Beast special on December 15.

Twain told The Sun she is looking forward to the next chapter in her life.

"I'm really excited about cheering people up."

***

If you or someone you know experienced sexual assault, help is out there. You can reach the RAINN National Sexual Assault Hotline by calling 1-800-656-4673, use their Live Chat tool: https://www.rainn.org/get-help, or visit the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.

In Canada, help is available through the Ending Violence Association of Canada website.

International resources can be found through the Rape Crisis Network Europe website.

More from Trending

Lil Nas X
Gilbert Flores/Variety via Getty Images

Lil Nas X Speaks Out

Lil Nas X’s summer swerved from chart-topping to chaotic after his arrest in Los Angeles last week. The Grammy-winning “Industry Baby” rapper, born Montero Lamar Hill, found himself in the middle of a late-night spiral that ended with felony charges, a hospital stay, and a video to fans that was equal parts rattled and reassuring.

According to reports from last week, Hill was spotted drifting in and out of a Hollywood hotel before wandering the streets in nothing but underwear and cowboy boots.

Keep ReadingShow less
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift
Patrick Smith/Getty Images

Travis Kelce's Dad Just Revealed When Travis Proposed To Taylor—And Fans Are All Noticing A Huge Easter Egg

In "Love Story," Taylor Swift once sang, "We were both young when I first saw you . . . It's a love story, baby, just say, 'Yes.'"

And in "You Belong with Me," Swift sang, "I'm on the bleachers / Dreaming about the day when you wake up and find / What you're looking for has been here the whole time."

Keep ReadingShow less
Screenshot of Charlie Kirk; Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift
Real America's Voice; Jamie Squire/Getty Images

Charlie Kirk Slammed After Telling Taylor Swift To 'Submit To Your Husband' Following News Of Her Engagement

Far-right influencer Charlie Kirk put his misogyny and sexism on full display when he responded to the news that Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce and musician Taylor Swift are engaged to be married, saying that Swift should now take the opportunity to become "more conservative" and reminding her to "submit to your husband."

Kirk was of course just one of the millions around the country who responded to the news that America's most famous couple will soon tie the knot—but few made comments as openly backward as this.

Keep ReadingShow less
Randy Rainbow; Donald Trump
Randy Rainbow/YouTube; Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images

Randy Rainbow Skewers Trump's Desire To Be King With Spot-On 'Lion King' Parody

Since the first presidency of MAGA Republican President Donald Trump, one of the greatest things to happen as a result was the rise of Randy Rainbow. Yes, unlike JD Vance, that's his real name.

His blend of political satire and musical parodies with a Broadway point of view have skewered Trump, his cabinet, and his closest cronies in Congress. His YouTube channel has garnered over 160 million views.

Keep ReadingShow less