A saga worthy of a country song. Shania Twain and her ex-husband, Robert John “Mutt” Lange, were once one of the music industry’s biggest power couples — and their split later became one of its biggest scandals.
The Grammy winner met the producer in June 1993, two months after she released her self-titled debut album. The LP was critically acclaimed but a commercial flop, and Lange — who was known for working with rock acts including AC/DC and Def Leppard — offered to produce Twain’s next album.
The duo began collaborating on The Woman in Me, which debuted in February 1995 and eventually became one of the bestselling country albums of all time. Before the album’s release, however, the twosome’s working relationship grew romantic, and they tied the knot in December 1993.
Lange’s influence helped Twain’s music reach a larger audience, but she’s always been careful to note that she shaped her own image herself. “A lot of those ideas were things I was working on before I met him, but when you get together with the right person, all the right things seem to start happening,” she told Interview magazine in March 1996. “He comes from the rock world, so he’s got so much spunk to his music. But obviously, we have a much closer relationship than your average cowriters.”
The pair also teamed up for the country star’s record-breaking albums Come on Over and Up!, but things weren’t so rosy behind the scenes. Twain contracted Lyme disease after being bitten by a tick in 2003, and the illness caused damage to her vocal cords that prevented her from touring and recording new music.
Five years later, the Canada native’s marriage to Lange imploded after he was allegedly caught having an affair with her friend and former personal assistant Marie-Anne Thiébaud, who was married to exec Frédéric Thiébaud at the time.
“For the first week after finding out about the affair, I was ready to die,” Twain wrote in her 2011 memoir, From This Moment On. “To go to bed forever and never wake up. Or to hurt someone. I was ready to do something desperate. But in reality, there was nothing to do but to suffer through it.”
During a 2011 interview with Ellen DeGeneres, the “Any Man of Mine” songstress revealed that Frédéric was actually the person who told her about Marie-Anne’s relationship with Lange. “I didn’t believe him and I thought for sure he was making it up,” Twain recalled. “I was obviously just in denial on my part.”
Despite the public scandal, the Broad City alum wrote in her autobiography that she wouldn’t change what she went through because it led her to Frédéric, whom she married in 2011. “Although I admit I wouldn’t want to live it over again, either,” she added. “Once was enough.”
Keep scrolling for a complete timeline of the drama between Twain and Lange.
Twain and the producer met in person for the first time after months of phone conversations about her music. The "You Win My Love" singer later described Lange as "extremely influential" on her sound, but only to an extent. "As a producer, he is very much a director as well; very hands-on and very talented," she told The Guardian in 2018. "So, he was driving the direction of the sound. He didn’t drive the direction of my voice and never tried to change me.” Susan Sterner/AP/Shutterstock
The twosome tied the knot in a ceremony held in her native Ontario, Canada. Michael S Green/AP/Shutterstock
Twain and Lange welcomed their only child, son Eja. The CMA Award winner later credited Eja with helping her survive after her messy split from her ex-husband. "Fortunately when you're a mom, the responsibility of caring for your child can keep you going," she wrote in her memoir. Stephen D'Antal/Shutterstock
The couple announced their split after Lange was accused of having an affair with Marie-Anne. Both Lange and Marie-Anne denied the allegations at the time, but they continued their romantic relationship after Lange's split from Twain. “I don’t see her, ever,” Twain told the New York Post of her former BFF in 2015. “I don’t invite that trigger into my life. … She’s not my future — she’s my past." Jim Smeal/BEI/Shutterstock
Twain and Lange finalized their divorce. The "Come on Over" singer, meanwhile, had started dating Frédéric the year prior. "We slowly became very, very good friends," Twain told DeGeneres in 2011. "We had many months of just trying to make sense of everything, holding each other up. It was a very difficult time emotionally for both of us. I would say he was probably stronger than I was. He was a tremendous support — we were a support to each other — and really found something beautiful in the end and unexpected." Dave Allocca/Starpix/Shutterstock
Frédéric and Twain got engaged after more than one year of dating. "It's twisted," Twain told AARP The Magazine in 2020, reflecting on the unusual beginnings of her romance with Frédéric. "But so beautifully twisted." Todd Williamson/January Images/Shutterstock
The Academy of Country Music Award winner and Frédéric tied the knot in Puerto Rico on New Year's Day. “I fell in love,” Twain told Nightline after the wedding. “I’ve always believed in love. I temporarily lost my hope in love, and it was temporary, thank goodness.” KCR/Shutterstock
During an appearance on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, Twain was asked what she would say to Marie-Anne if she saw her again. “I wish I’d never met you,” she replied. Charles Sykes/Bravo; Broadimage/Shutterstock
Twain opened up about her split from Lange in her Netflix documentary, Shania Twain: Not Just a Girl, explaining that she considered quitting music in the wake of her divorce. "Now I'm at a whole other low. And I just don't see any point in going on with a music career," she recalled. "It was like a death. It was a permanent end to so many facets of my life." Rob Latour/Shutterstock
from Celebrity News: Latest Celeb News & Pictures - Us Weekly https://ift.tt/GbrX0dq
Comments
Post a Comment