Shania Twain Says Her Stepfather Abused Her and Her Mother

Shania Twain told The Times about severe abuse she says she and her mother, Sharon, suffered from her stepfather, Jerry Twain, during her childhood in Canada. Twain, now 60, said that when she was 11, Jerry beat her mother unconscious and then repeatedly shoved her head into a toilet in what she described as an attempt to kill her. She said she tried to stop him by smashing a chair on his back, and he responded by punching her in the jaw.

Twain also said her stepfather sexually abused her and forced her to walk around the house topless. Reflecting on those years, she said, “There were many moments when I realized I would never allow myself to be in an abusive relationship.” She added that she built “a shield and confidence” early on, and that she decided she would not be like her mother. “I tried to protect her, I felt sorry for her, but the only thing I could really do was break the cycle myself,” she said.

She said she began performing at age 8, singing in bars after closing time, and was taken onstage only at midnight because minors could not perform while alcohol was still being served. Twain said, “I was stuck in places I didn’t want to be,” describing smoky bars and the vulnerability of that environment. In 1987, she received a phone call telling her that her parents had died in a car crash with a logging truck in Ontario.

Twain first spoke publicly in 2023 about the lasting effects of the abuse, saying her stepfather’s touch as a child left her ashamed of her body. She said posing nude for an album cover was part of reclaiming herself, calling it “an expression of the self-confidence I have gained in recent years” and saying, “I am the boss of myself.” Despite the trauma and difficult early career, she went on to become one of the most successful singers in country and pop music. Her 1997 album Come On Over has sold more than 40 million copies worldwide, remains the best-selling studio album by a woman, the best-selling country album of all time, and one of the best-selling albums ever. Twelve singles were released from it, including “From This Moment On,” “That Don’t Impress Me Much,” and “Man! I Feel Like a Woman!” Twain is currently joining Harry Styles as a support act at all 12 of his Wembley Stadium shows, and her seventh album, Little Miss Twain, is due out on July 24.