Shania Twain says she used to flatten her breasts to try and avoid sexual abuse by her stepfather

Shania Twain has revealed she used to flatten her breasts to avoid sexual abuse at the hands of her stepfather as a teenager.

The Canadian singer-songwriter, 57, has been open about her difficult childhood, growing up in poverty in Ontario with four siblings living with her mum Sharon and stepdad Jerry Twain, who legally adopted the children.

As a way of coping with his physical and sexual abuse, Shania explained in a candid interview that she would try anything she could to make herself go unnoticed in the house.

Speaking to The Sunday Times, Shania said: ‘I hid myself and I would flatten my boobs. I would wear bras that were too small for me, and I’d wear two, play it down until there was nothing girl about me. Make it easier to go unnoticed.

‘Because, oh my gosh, it was terrible — you didn’t want to be a girl in my house.’

She went on to explain that this only continued as she grew up and left the household to experience it in day-to-day society.

Shania added: ‘But then you go into society and you’re a girl and you’re getting the normal other unpleasant stuff too, and that reinforces it. So then you think, “Oh, I guess it’s just sh***y to be a girl. Oh, it’s so sh***y to have boobs.” I was ashamed of being a girl.’

Hitmaker: The Man! I Feel Like a Woman hitmaker (pictured in the music video) grew up in poverty in Ontario with four siblings living with her mum Sharon and stepdad Jerry Twain, who legally adopted the children

In 2018, Shania said the abuse started when she was around the age of 10. 

Admitting she had been sexually abused, she told  The Guardian: ‘Uh huh, uh huh. I’m not going to go into details about it. I don’t mind saying it, because I do think it’s important that people understand you can survive these things.’ 

She explained: ‘I feel the sexual abuse goes hand in hand with the physical and psychological abuse when it’s somebody you know. I learned to block it out. 

‘Abusers need to manipulate you, whether it’s before or after, and what I said to myself is: “OK, there’s something wrong with this person and that person is not well.”‘

Candid: As a way of coping with his physical and sexual abuse, Shania explained in a candid interview that she would try anything she could to make herself go unnoticed in the house

Shania did not know her biological father. Her stepfather Jerry and her mother Sharon died in a car crash in 1987.

It comes after Shania recently revealed that she once had a very awkward moment with talk show icon Oprah Winfrey over dinner, when the conversation turned to religion.

The 57-year-old country singer sat down for a podcast interview on Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware to promote latest single Waking Up Dreaming, and revealed how things quickly turned ‘sour’ with Oprah, 68.

While she explained that it was ‘one of my most memorable dinners’ with Oprah, that took place at a restaurant, Shania recalled how she could sense a disagreement between them over their religious beliefs.

‘It was great to just have real talks, but as soon as we started talking about religion, it all went sour,’ Shania confessed. 

‘So, I said, “Let’s stop talking about religion,”‘ Twin recalled, while adding that Oprah – who was raised in the Baptist Church and is a Christian – ‘is quite religious.’

The country singer called Oprah ‘a smart lady.’

She clarified her position on the topic, noting that she’s ‘not religious in the sense that I’m dedicated to a religion. I’m much more of a spiritual person. I would say I’m a seeker.’

Tragedy: Shania did not know her biological father. Her stepfather Jerry and her mother Sharon died in a car crash in 1987