Shania Twain recalls being ‘literally kicked around’ by her parents as a child

• Grammy-winning artist Shania Twain has revealed details of her “very violent” childhood, growing up in a physically abusive home in Timmins, Ontario, Canada.
• Twain, 60, described regularly witnessing her mother, Sharon Morrison, being abused by her stepfather, Jerry Twain, and said that both her parents were “physically harsh” to her and her siblings, who were “literally kicked around”.
• Her mother made multiple attempts to leave her stepfather, but he would always find them or she would return, creating a cycle of abuse, Twain said.
• Twain began singing in local bars at the age of eight to help support her family, with her mother encouraging her musical aspirations as a way to escape their difficult life.
• At 22, Twain's parents were killed in a head-on collision, forcing her to put her music career on hold to raise her three younger siblings before signing her first record deal at 27.

If you are a child and you need help because something has happened to you, you can call the NSPCC free of charge on 0800 1111. You can also call the NSPCC if you are an adult and you are worried about a child, on 0808 800 5000. The National Association for People Abused in Childhood (Napac) offers support for adults on 0808 801 0331.