Shania Twain reveals she had to eat 'mouldy' bread to survive her impoverished childhood

Shania Twain has opened up about her tough upbringing, revealing that she used to eat "mouldy" bread and mustard due to the extreme poverty her family faced. The country music star, known for her hit, That Don't Impress Me Much, spoke candidly about growing up in Ontario where her mother Sharon battled depression and her stepfather Jerry Twain encountered racial discrimination while job hunting, leaving them with very little food for Shania and her four half-siblings.

In an interview with You magazine, Shania shared: "It was an event in our house to have a grocery day." She described the dire straits they found themselves in: "Sometimes two to three weeks would go by without groceries."

The singer detailed their meagre meals: "We'd be down to mouldy bread, whatever the absolute bare minimum would be. If there was only mustard in the fridge, we would just put mustard on the bread and take that to school."

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To help make ends meet, Shania's mum took her to sing in bars from the age of eight, exploiting loopholes in the law that allowed her to perform after last orders, between midnight and 1am, when patrons had stocked up on beer and whisky. Twain reflected on those days: "It was uncomfortable. It was loud. It was smoky like, really smoky. Always smelly, you know? Beer and alcohol, stale alcohol."

At times, the Man! I Feel Like a Woman singer's stepfather would join her and her mum on outings, but there were occasions when he forbade them from going. Despite this, Shania's mother would take them out secretly, which led to further issues.

Shania shared: "'If he had a job and had work the next morning, how was he supposed to get there if we took the gas and I didn't get paid anything? This was the Russian roulette that my mother was playing at times. That went wrong. Often. Violence would erupt. There would be fights, which were incredibly dangerous and traumatic for everyone in the household. It wasn't uncommon for the police to be called to our house in the middle of the night. So, yes, I have a lot of mixed feelings about my mother's ambition for me to become the next Tanya Tucker!"

Shania, now 58, said she endured sexual abuse by Jerry from the age of 10, an experience that led her to find solace in songwriting. She revealed: "Whenever I'm going through something difficult in my life, I tend to process those times through writing. The purpose, I guess, is the joy and the relief that it brings me. It's like how kids do colouring."

"I've been angry... but I've always been a very productive person. I don't think I've ever had anger issues. I think it's my character. I don't take credit for overcoming anger. I don't even take credit for not holding a grudge. It's just part of my character." For the latest TV & Showbiz news, sign up to our newsletter.