Shania Twain (60) speaks openly about her difficult childhood. In the podcast 'Wild Card with Rachel Martin', the singer describes the tense relationship between her mother and her stepfather and reports on conflicts that resulted in violence. The 60-year-old describes the family environment as being marked by strong contrasts.
'They loved each other. They went through so many highs and lows together, but they argued often and there were frequently violent altercations,' she says. When asked whether this violence was also directed at her, Twain confirms this. 'Yes, me too. If I was in the wrong place at the wrong time, absolutely,' she explains. 'I mean, both of my parents were quite rough physically. We were definitely hit often and sometimes also kicked - literally kicked.'
Relationship marked by violence
Although she and her sisters were not safe from the abuse, Twain says that her parents mainly hurt each other. 'It was very violent. My mother lost entire clumps of hair, for example. She often had bruises on her face and sometimes it was quite bad. I mean, our house shook. The walls shook.'
The singer describes the experiences as 'very traumatic' and draws a comparison: The situation felt like a 'really heavy thunderstorm' when it gets 'loud' and 'frightening.'
Her mother Sharon separated from her first husband when Shania Twain was still very young. Shortly after, her mother married Jerry Twain, with whom she lived until their shared death in a tragic car accident in 1987. Sharon had tried several times to leave Jerry. In the podcast, however, the singer explains that the separation was never permanent: 'She left too. We left, but he always found us again or she always gave in and went back.' It was a vicious cycle.
'I thought they would end up killing each other'
The 60-year-old has spoken several times in the past about the difficult and conflict-ridden aspects of her childhood. Among other things, with the publication of her memoir 'From This Moment On,' Twain provided a deep and painful insight into her family life.
She had been afraid at the time that her stepfather might kill her mother, the singer told the British 'Guardian' in 2018. And further: 'I thought they would end up killing each other. My mother was quite violent too.'
In her book, she described a scene in which she defended herself against her stepfather when he was being violent with her mother again. Twain hit a chair against his back, and he hit her in the jaw. At the time, she was only eleven years old.
Her stepfather often mistreated her physically and psychologically, she said in the interview. There had also been inappropriate abuse. She didn't want to talk about it in detail, but believes it's important to show 'that people understand that you can survive such things.'
Victims of violence and other crimes in Germany can contact, among others, the victim hotline of Weisser Ring. This is available free of charge and anonymously throughout the week from 07:00 to 22:00 at 116 006. Counseling and help for women is also offered anonymously and free of charge by the help hotline Violence Against Women at 116 016 around the clock.
