While we’ve been fairly certain that it is Shania herself who has been leaking the details of her husband’s infidelity to the press, Shania Twain has released a letter to her fans on her official website addressing the break-up of her marriage, which makes for some interesting reading.

To my beloved fans:

As I am sure you have seen or heard; I am going through a rough time personally in my life. I wanted you all to know that I could not be getting through this without you. Your letters, emails and words of encouragement give me strength. Your overwhelming support reminds me to smile, no matter how deep the pain and to always be grateful for all the beautiful blessings in my life.

I have so much to say but I know the best way for me to speak is through my music. This is my therapy, my passion, and my love. I look forward to sharing it with all of you as I begin this new journey.

I need some time to heal this broken heart but make no mistake; I will be back and hopefully stronger than ever.

Thank you my friends, from the bottom of my heart.

Love,
Shania

What really sticks out to me is that she isn’t hiding her pain about the ending of her marriage at all. She describes herself as having a ‘broken heart’, alludes to her deep pain, and talks about her music being therapy. This is not the usual celebrity press release, where the star in question is ‘going through a difficult time but appreciates you support in this private matter’. This is a heartfelt letter to her fans.

This emotionally open letter makes me think that Celebitchy was right when she said that Shania is the one leaking details of her break-up to People magazine. If my husband cheated on me with a friend, I would want revenge. I would drag those two lyin’ cheatin’ hearts through the mud in the press. Then I would put out an absolutely amazing album without my former husband/producer’s help.

Which sounds exactly like what Shania plans to do.

Shania Twain is shown in stills from an appearance on Canadian television in November, 2005. Here is the photo description from Splash News:

“This is the emotional moment when music superstar Shania Twain broke down on live television. Tears of sadness rolled down the singer’s cheeks as she talked about growing up poor during a broadcast of Cityline on Canadian TV. She said: ‘I prayed so much when I was a kid. I just wanted to be swept away. I wanted music to take me away, I wanted music to adopt me and just take me away from all that hell. It was a rough life, a lot rougher than I have ever revealed.’”

People Magazine has more insider dirt from Shaina Twain’s divorce after 14 years. I’ve said for a while that it seems like Shania is leaking the story to People herself, because they have too many insider details and she’s a woman who was wronged and isn’t about to let her husband and his mistress get away with it. Now People has a denial from the other woman. Shania’s husband “Mutt” Lange denied the affair in an earlier statement, saying that he and Shania grew apart. It sounds they pressed the alleged mistress for an answer though, because her first statement was evasive. Plus People claims to have “several sources close to the situation” who vouch for the fact that Shania’s husband cheated with this woman, who was one of Shania’s close friends in Switzerland along with managing their estate and serving as -ahem- secretary to her husband:

Speaking publicly for the first time since the news of the alleged affair became public, Marie-Anne Thiébaud, 37, told PEOPLE, “You cannot believe everything you read in the press.” When asked directly if she had an affair with Twain’s husband, music producer Robert “Mutt” Lange, she replied, “No.”

That contradicts several sources close to the situation, who say Thiébaud and Lange left their spouses for each other and continue to maintain a romantic relationship. Twain, 42, and Lange, 59, who have a 6-year-old son, Eja, announced their separation May 15. Since then, the “You’re Still the One” singer – “devastated” by the revelations, according to sources – has sought refuge with family in her native Canada.

Thiébaud began working for the ultra-private couple after they moved to Switzerland in 2000, acting as their personal assistant, secretary and manager of their vast château. By all accounts, she became one of Twain’s closest confidants. The two attended the 2006 Swiss Red Cross Ball together (PEOPLE’s exclusive first photos of Thiébaud showed the pair at the event, posing together and smiling).

[From People.com]

Maybe the mistress, who was also married when she began the alleged affair with Shania’s husband, doesn’t think it’s cheating if they were each having problems with their other relationships. Or maybe the woman has no qualms about lying to the press. Why would Shania smear this person and her husband if they weren’t cheating? I believe her, but it’s also between her and her husband and we have no way of verifying the story. They have a six year-old son together though and he’s bound to read all about this when he’s of age. Still, I would probably do the same thing if I was in Shania’s position. (As much as I like to think I would take the high road.)

Picture note: The photo that’s on the front page of the site and leads into this story is of Shania at the “Walk The Line” premiere in 2005.

The woman that Shania Twain’s husband of 14 years allegedly cheated with, his secretary Marie-Anne Thiébaud, was a close friend of Shania’s family. People has a new story about the affair complete with a picture of Shania and the other woman, and says that “Shania considered Marie-Anne one of her best friends” and that their families even vacationed together.

It’s been pretty clear to me from the start of this Shania Twain divorce story that Shania’s camp is behind the leaks to People Magazine. People does not seem likely to run “insider” stories with such conviction unless they have news directly from someone’s rep. Now that they have a picture of the other woman with Shania it definitely looks like she’s the one feeding them information and details on her divorce. It’s as if Shania is holding up the mistress for public condemnation and as a comparison to how gorgeous she is, because they’re standing right next to each other in the photo.

And can you blame her? She must be livid that this was going on right under her nose. There’s been some speculation that Shania Twain and her husband haven’t had sex in some time, because she’s said to practice a religion called “Sant Mat,” that supposedly does not allow sex except for procreation. (Thanks to commenter “Other Karen” for this article, written by People Magazine in 2002.) I couldn’t verify that Sant Mat actually has this abstinence requirement of followers, though, nor is there any confirmation that Shania continues to practice it more than five years after she gave that interview to People.

If you were in Shania’s position, would you tell the press all about how your husband betrayed you along with providing a photo of his new mistress to illustrate your point? I can’t say it wouldn’t occur to me.

The National Enquirer has an exclusive story that Jodie Foster’s 14 year relationship with Cydney Bernard ended after Jodie started cheating with a woman she met on a movie set last year. Jodie and Cydney have two children together, sons aged 6 and 9, and they’re still living together at this point, but Jodie is about to move out:

Jodie Foster cheated on her lesbian partner of 14 years with a younger, prettier woman who is now her new girlfriend!

The ENQUIRER has learned exclusively that the Oscar winner’s new love is brunette Cindy Mort, a producer and screenwriter she met on the set of her 2007 film The Brave One.

The 47-year-old star’s new squeeze is the former partner of thirtysomething actress Melanie Mahron — with whom she has two children!

Meanwhile, 55-year-old Cydney Bernard is still living with Jodie but their romance is over, say sources.

Jodie has never publicly identified the father of her 6- and 9-year-old sons, Charles and Kit.

” Although she and Cydney remain under the same roof at the moment,” a close pal told The ENQUIRER, “the relationship has been shattered.”

[From The National Enquirer’s website]

This is the second 14 year relationship that was publicly pronounced over this week due to cheating with a co-worker.

People Magazine has more details of the Shania Twain split, probably leaked by Shania’s camp, and Shania says that the secretary her husband cheated on her with was “one of her best friends,” and that “their two families would vacation and spend holidays together.” Can you imagine?

Hopefully the woman Jodie Foster cheated on her longterm partner with wasn’t someone they knew together, but that must not soften the blow for Cydney. Maybe this story is inaccurate though and they were already separated but living together when Jodie met someone else. It doesn’t sound like that’s the case, but you never know what’s going on in someone else’s home. Right now we’re relying on tabloid reports, and no one is likely to confirm or deny anything. Jodie only acknowledged she even had a partner about five months ago.

When I heard that Shania Twain and her husband split after 14 years of marriage, I assumed it was one of those things where they grew apart. Shania, 42, and her producer husband Robert “Mutt” Lange, 59, announced their split last week. Shania is a country music crossover superstar, and has spent much of the last eight years living in Switzerland away from the media spotlight.

People Magazine reports that, like many divorces, it wasn’t just an issue of the two of them not relating to each other or not getting along - “Mutt” was cheating with his married Swiss secretary!

Reached by PEOPLE after the separation was announced in a statement, Lange called the split “an unfortunate thing.” He added, “It’s literally just a growing apart, that’s all.”

But sources close to the situation say a third party was involved: Marie Ann Thiébaud, a longtime secretary and manager of the couple’s chateau in Switzerland. “Mutt and Marie Ann left their spouses for each other and are still in a relationship,” says one source.

Lange denies the claims. “It’s absolutely not the reason [for the separation],” the famously reclusive producer told PEOPLE when asked about the alleged affair. He also denied that he was in a romantic relationship with Thiébaud: “I’m not, no,” he said. “It’s not true.” (Thiébaud could not be reached for comment.)

[From People.com]

The only thing I can imagine that would be worse than having your husband cheat on you with a co-worker you also knew and trusted would be to have him cheat with your best friend. I’m sure there are even more heart-wrenching scenarios, but it all comes down to a massive betrayal that’s gone on behind your back. Shania’s husband denies it, and it’s possible he’s telling the truth and that Shania’s camp leaked the news in order to garner sympathy for her. This is People, though, so it’s probably directly from Shania’s rep if they’re printing it. She has a perfume and an album coming out this year and could definitely use the publicity, but she doesn’t seem like the type to seek it out with such negative news.

The cynical side of me was waiting to see her at the Academy of Country Music Awards, where she showed up for a rare appearance last year. It seemed like she was announcing her split right before the event in order to make a big impact. She wasn’t there, which makes it seem as if she could be the jilted wife this story makes her out to be.

Shania and her aptly-named estranged husband, Mutt Lange, have one child together, a six year old son, Eja D’Angelo.

Shania Twain is shown at the Kennedy Center honors on 12/3/06, thanks to WENN.

Canadian-born music superstar Shania Twain, 42, leads a relatively press-free lifestyle. She lives in the French area of Switzerland and in New Zealand, and only occasionally pops up in the states for an event. She hasn’t released an album in nearly four years, since her Greatest Hits came out in 2004. Considering how ubiquitous her songs are, she probably doesn’t need to work for some time, but she’s about to come back into the spotlight. She is quoted at the Academy of Country Music Awards in May, 2007, as saying that she was doing a “lot of soul searching” and “indulging in the writing [of new music].” She said she hopes to have an album out sometime in the following year, which would be around now. [Details from Wikipedia]

Maybe Twain was hinting at issues in her 14 year marriage when she said she was doing some soul searching. Her rep has announced that she is separating from her producer husband, Robert ‘Mutt’ Lange, 59, after 14 years of marriage. They have a six year old son together, Eja D’Angelo.

People Magazine notes that Shania also has a new perfume coming out this year. She is quoted saying that she struggled with her fame, which is thought to be why she moved to Switzerland in 2000. Maybe it was time for her to let go of a troubled relationship or maybe it’s been over for some time and since she’s about to make a comeback it was time to announce it.

Shania and Robert produced her 1998 hit song “You’re Still The One” together. It is thought to be aimed at critics of their relationship when they first started dating in the mid 90s. Robert is 17 years older than Shania and their relationship was met with skepticism.

Shania Twain is shown on 5/15/07 at the Academy of Country Music Awards, Thanks to WENN.