Shania Twain Gets Vulnerable About Overcoming Her Tragic Childhood

Many fans see Shania Twain as the affable country singer with a big smile, but some may not know that she has overcome a lot of difficulties in her life. Twain has opened up about her tough childhood in the past and what it was like living with abusive parents. "Many nights I went to bed thinking, 'Don't go to sleep, don't go to sleep, wait till they are sleeping.' I was worried about my father killing my mother [but] my mom was quite violent, too. I would wake up to make sure everybody was breathing," she told Closer Weekly in 2018.

Twain's mother and stepfather died in a car crash in 1987, which put her burgeoning career on hold so that she could take care of her siblings. She then married her now ex-husband Robert "Mutt" Lange in 1993 but divorced him in 2008 after he had an affair with her best friend. Following another heartbreak, Twain shared, "I started peeling back the layers of pain I was in, and all the other griefs and disappointments came to the surface." She revealed that the divorce opened up old wounds from her stepfather, who abused her emotionally and physically. "I learned to block it out," the country star said at the time.

The "From This Moment On" singer used music as a way to deal with her trauma, and while discussing her upcoming new album, she explained how she eventually learned to love herself.

If you or someone you know is dealing with domestic abuse, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1−800−799−7233. You can also find more information, resources, and support at their website.

Shania Twain sat down with Hoda Kotb to share the reason she named her new album "Queen of Me," per Today. She revealed that the title reflected ownership over oneself and added, "It's a statement of self-confidence that I've grown into more over the last few years." In an attempt to overcome her body image issues, Twain shared that she did a photoshoot completely nude, which was frightening at first, but she felt empowered when she got through it.

Reflecting on her difficult childhood, Twain revealed, "My father would fondle me up on the top and make me go without a shirt, and I was already maturing ... it was this cringy, horrible, wanting to escape being in my own skin," she told Kotb. However, doing the photoshoot made her take back her power. "I'm just in this moment now where I'm like, no, no, no. I'm happy in my own skin. It's the only skin I have, so I don't have a choice. So it's time to start loving myself in my own skin, not being embarrassed or shy about it," she declared.

Despite her past, Twain is ready to look forward with a positive mindset and told People, "It's like a renaissance period for me. To be experiencing it as a relevant artist still, that's rewarding. I feel a renewed confidence. I don't have anything to prove anymore, and I feel freedom in that."

If you or someone you know may be the victim of child abuse, please contact the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child (1-800-422-4453) or contact their live chat services.