The complicated separation of Shania Twain and her ex-husband Robert "Mutt" Lange: a timeline (2023)

A saga worthy of a country song.Shania Twainand her ex-husband,Robert John "Mutt" Lange, was once one ofthe most powerful couples in the music industry- and its subsequent dissolutionbecame one of his biggest scandalsThe Grammy winner met the producer in June 1993, two months after the release of her self-titled debut album. The LP was critically acclaimed but a commercial failure and Lange, known for his collaborations with rock bands such as AC/DC and Def Leppard, offered to produce Twain's next album. The couple began collaboratingthe woman in me, which debuted in February 1995 and went on to become one of the best-selling country albums of all time. Prior to the album's release, however, the couple's working relationship turned romantic and they married in December 1993. Lange's influence helped Twain's music reach a wider audience, but she always made sure that he shaped his own image. "A lot of those ideas were things I was working on before I met him, but when you meet the right person, the right things seem to happen," he said.InterviewMagazine in March 1996. "He comes from the rock world, so he cares a lot about his music. But obviously we have a much closer relationship than the average co-writer." Country Star AlbumsVenmiHoch!, but things weren't going so well behind the scenes.Twain contracted Lyme diseaseAfter being bitten by a tick in 2003, the disease caused damage to her vocal cords that prevented her from touring and recording new music. Five years later, the native Canadian's marriage to Lange broke up after his deathallegedly caught having an affairwith her friend and former personal assistantMarie-Anne Thiebaud, who was married to the ExecutiveFriedrich Thiebaudback then. "The first week after I found out about the affair, I was ready to die," Twain said.he wrote in his 2011 memoir,strong🇧🇷 "Go to bed forever and never wake up again. Or hurt someone. I was ready to do something desperate. But really, there was nothing to do but suffer.”Ellen DeGeneresThe Any Man of Mine singer revealed that Frédéric was actually the person who told her about Marie-Anne's relationship with Lange. "I didn't believe him and I was sure he made it up," Twain recalled. "Obviously it was just a denial on my part." Despite the public scandal thatwide cityAlum wrote in her autobiography that she would not change what happened because it led her to Frédéric, whom she married in 2011. "Although I admit I don't want to experience that again either," she added. "Once was enough." Keep scrolling for a full timeline of Twain and Lange's drama.[podcast_block]

Twain and the producer first met in person after months of phone conversations about their music. The "You Win My Love" singer later described Lange as "hugely influential" on her sound, but only up to a point. “As a producer, he's also a director; very practical and very talented,” he said.The guardin 2018. "So he set the direction of the tone. He didn't dictate the direction of my voice and he never tried to change me."

The duo tied the knot in a ceremony in their native Ontario, Canada.

Twain and Lange welcomed their only child, Eja. The CMA award winner later credited Eja with helping her survive after her messy split from her ex-husband. "Fortunately, the responsibility of caring for your child can keep you on your feet as a mother," she wrote in her memoir.

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 continued their romantic relationship after Lange and Twain split. "I never see her," said TwainNew York Postfrom her former best friend in 2015. "I don't invite that trigger into my life. … She is not my future, she is my past.

Twain and Lange have finalized their divorce. For her part, the "Come on Over" singer had started dating Frédéric the year before. "We gradually became very, very good friends," Twain told DeGeneres in 2011. “We spent many months trying to figure everything out and sticking to each other. It was a very difficult time emotionally for both of us. I would like to say who was probably stronger than me. He gave us tremendous support, we supported each other and in the end we really found something beautiful and unexpected."

Frédéric and Twain got engaged after more than a year of courtship. "It's distorted," Twaintold AARP The Magazine in 2020, who reflects on the unlikely beginning of her romance with Frédéric. "But so beautifully distorted."

The Academy of Country Music honoree and Frédéric were married on New Year's Day in Puerto Rico. "I fell in love," Twain said.night lineAfter the wedding. "I've always believed in love. I temporarily lost hope for love, and thank God it was only temporary."

Duringuma aparición de Watch what's happening live with Andy Cohen, Twain was asked what he would say to Marie-Anne if he saw her again. "I wish I had never met you," she replied.

Twain opened up about her split from Lange in her Netflix documentary.Shania Twain: not just a girl, and stated that she was considering leaving music after her divorce. "Now I'm on a whole different level. And I just don't see the point of pursuing a music career," he recalled. "It was like a death. It was the final end of so many facets of my life."