When Shania Twain split from her ex-husband Mutt Lange, not only did she lose her husband, but she lost one of her biggest music collaborators.
The star met her rock producer ex-husband in 1993, and two years later, in 1995, she released her album The Woman in Me, which kicked off her having three consecutive albums to sell at least ten million copies in the US, making her the first female artist to do so.
The couple, who share son Eja, born in 2001, split in 2010, the reason widely reported as Mutt having an affair with the singer's best friend. She went on to marry the friend's own ex-husband, Frédéric Thiébaud, the year after her split.
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Speaking with The Guardian ahead of the release of her newest album, Queen of Me, Shania opened up about her work and personal life, and wasn't afraid to admit that her 2010 divorce had an impact on both.
"I really recognize him as one of the greats," she candidly said of her ex-husband, who has also worked with artists such as AC/DC, Def Leppard, The Cars, Tina Turner, Celine Dion, and Maroon 5.
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"With or without the personal life, there's nothing bad to say about the incredible music that was created," she said.
© Photo: Getty ImagesThe former couple kept their relationship out of the spotlight while living in Switzerland
Acknowledging the impact he had on her career – he is credited as both a producer and writer on The Woman in Me, Come on Over and Up! – Shania added: "He was an important part of the story – not as an ex-husband, as an ex-music collaborator."
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It appears it is what saddens her the most about the dissolution of their marriage, maybe even more so than his rumored affair.
© Photo: Getty ImagesShania and Frédéric live in Switzerland, where she moved in 1990
She explained: "There couldn't be one without the other," admitting: "That was the sad part. Even though in my mind, of course, I can separate them, the songs are as much his as they are mine.
"Knowing that we would never make music again together… that is a shame, I think, musically, creatively."
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