Shania Twain ‘Often Went To Bed Hungry’ As A Child But Is Now ‘Fortunate’ To Live On Farm & Feed Kids In Need

Feb 13, 2023 by apost team

Shania Twain is a Canadian singer and songwriter who has sold over 100 million records throughout her career. This makes her the best-selling female country music artist of all time and one of the top-selling artists in music history. She has come to be known as the “Queen of Country Pop” and is best known for her songs “Man, I Feel Like a Woman” and “Any Man of Mine.” The singer won a Grammy Award for the latter song.

Twain was born as Eileen Regina Edwards on Aug. 28, 1965, in Windsor, Ontario, Canada. Her biological parents are Sharon and Clarence Edwards, but they divorced when the singer was 2, and her mother remarried to a man named Jerry Twain. Jerry adopted Shania and her sisters Jill and Carrie Ann. Sharon and Jerry had a son named Mark and adopted Jerry’s nephew Darryl after his mother passed away. 

In her adulthood, Twain endured heartbreak of her own. In 2008, everyone was shocked when her then-husband, Robert Lange, cheated on her with her secretary, Marie-Anne Thiébaud. Marie-Anne was married to Frédéric Thiébaud at that time. And in a stunning turn of events, Twain and Frederic later tied the knot together in Rincon, Puerto Rico, on New Year’s Day in 2011.

Following the cheating scandal, Twain promptly dumped Lange, and they formally divorced in 2010. The Thiébauds also divorced as a consequence of the affair.

Twain’s new happy marriage boosted her confidence, and she became happier with herself. However, she endured struggles growing up. She had a complicated relationship with her father, and there were times when Twain didn’t have food to eat. Now, though, she is a certified country pop star, and she is using her platform for the betterment of others.

Twain’s family didn’t have a lot of money when she was growing up, so she began singing at bars at the age of 8 to try to help pay her family’s bills. She also shared that she witnessed violence between her mother and stepfather growing up.

Her childhood was difficult, and she told ABC News about the hardships she endured. “It was the Jekyll and Hyde in him that was the greatest torture,” she said about her stepfather’s violence. “I loved him and I respected so much what he did for us, being the hard worker, he set a great example. So I’m still left confused. I’m baffled by all of that, I really am.”

Her mom and stepfather also fought over financial struggles as they typically didn’t have enough money for rent and food.

“It’s very hard to concentrate when your stomach’s rumbling,” Twain said, recounting how hungry she was going to school. “I would certainly never have humiliated myself enough to reach out and ask for help and say, 'You know, I’m hungry. Can I have that apple that you’re not going to eat? I didn’t have the courage to do that.”

She told the Country Daily: “My whole childhood, my whole school life, I basically went to school without a lunch every day. I often went to bed hungry. Food, for me, is a luxury.”

However, it has made her stronger in the long run. Twain said:

“I think I’ve remained very detached from my life to this point, almost as though it was a different person, every phrase I went through. So I’ve reconnected and said, no, this is actually who I am. I’m neither embarrassed of who I am, where I come from, what I’ve experienced, I’m not ashamed of it.”

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On Nov. 1, 1987, Twain’s mother and stepfather were killed in a car accident, and Twain moved back home to care for her younger brothers. “I knew I had to look after my younger brothers,” she explained. “I really needed to keep the family together. I just put all my singing ambitions on hold until the rest of the family had grown up.”

Fortunately for Twain, she was later able to embark on a singing career and became a huge star. The “Queen of Country Pop” has received plenty of awards and honors over the years and is one of the best-selling music artists of all time.

Nowadays, she uses her platform to give back to others, especially those who are in similar situations to hers.

On Aug. 15, 1996, Twain visited her hometown and was overwhelmed by the response. According to CBC, she received the keys to the city, and that day became known as Shania Twain Day.

“It’s incredible to leave your hometown in pursuit of your dreams, as just an everyday person and then come back feeling the same way, but being treated like a queen,” Twain said. “It’s very overwhelming.”

She now helps feed the hungry through Shania Kids Can, an organization she founded, which also provides a “safe, confidence-building environment” for children.

“I always had a mission to feed the hungry,” Twain explained. “My goal, even when I was a kid, was to find out who the hungry families were and to show up at their door with a freezer full of food. That’s what I wanted to do.”

According to Hello! Magazine, Twain now lives on a farm in Las Vegas with her husband and son, and feels very “fortunate and thankful” for what her life has become.

What do you think about how Shania Twain is using her platform? Did you know about her personal story? Let us know, and be sure to pass this along to your family, friends and any country music fans you know!