Shania Twain Opens Up About Mother's Depression and Childhood Poverty

Shania Twain, the country music legend, has given a candid interview to People magazine while promoting her upcoming album Little Miss Twain. In it, she reflects on growing up in poverty and how, as a child, she took on adult responsibilities while watching her mother struggle with depression.

In the interview, Shania Twain did not sugarcoat the hardships her family faced behind closed doors with her mother Sharon and stepfather Jerry. She said: "I grew up really quickly. We didn't always have money to pay the bills. I was one of the adults: getting the kids to school, making meals out of nothing — whatever was left in jars, like ketchup sandwiches — and trying to support my mother through her depression and not being able to feed us or keep us warm in winter."

Despite the painful memories, the Man! I Feel Like a Woman! singer emphasized she has only compassion for her mother, who died alongside Shania's stepfather in a car accident when the singer was just 22. "She was a wonderful mother, but she couldn't cope with not always being able to care for us the way she believed we should be cared for," Twain added.

Music became a lifeline in their household. Shania revealed: "My music was her lifeline a lot of the time. It gave her hope that we could maybe become the Beverly Hillbillies." The star has previously spoken about surviving an abusive childhood, losing her parents young, a public divorce, and health issues that threatened her singing voice.

Looking back, Shania Twain says those experiences forced her to develop resilience early on. "I had to learn how to be brave really early on and not crumble," she noted.

This is an incredibly candid look at the hardships that shaped one of country music's biggest stars — a reminder that behind the chart-topping anthems was a little girl carrying far more than any child should. The full interview is available on People's website.