Shania Twain, now a global superstar, had a difficult childhood in Timmins, Ontario, growing up in poverty with a depressed mother and an abusive stepfather. As one of five children, she often lacked basic necessities and had to care for her siblings. Music became her escape, and by age 8 she was performing in bars under her mother\u2019s guidance.<\/p>\n
She worked at McDonald\u2019s for meals and income while singing late into the night, enduring abuse and trauma, including sexual abuse by her stepfather. At 22, after her mother and stepfather died in a car crash, she became responsible for her younger siblings, taking a singing job at a resort to support them.<\/p>\n
Twain eventually recorded a demo, signed with Mercury Nashville, and launched her music career, collaborating and marrying producer Robert \u201cMutt\u201d Lange. After vocal setbacks from Lyme disease and later discovering Lange\u2019s affair, she found love again with Fr\u00e9d\u00e9ric Thi\u00e9baud, marrying him in 2011. Twain has since embraced her past, acknowledging her ex-husband\u2019s role in her career and cherishing the life she\u2019s built.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"