The only thing better than a love song is a real-life love story. Fortunately, plenty of them exist in country music. We picked four of the best and most unexpected love stories in country music, whose love has stood the test of time.
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Shania Twain and Frédéric Thiébaud
Shania Twain was first married to Mutt Lange from 1993 to 2008. Their marriage came to a devastating halt when it was discovered that Lange was having an affair with Twain’s close friend, Marie-Anne Thiébaud, who was also married at the time to Frédéric Thiébaud, an executive with Nestlé.
Twain and Frédéric Thiébaud bonded over their shared heartache. Over time, their mutual pain turned into love for each other, and on January 1, 2011, the couple got married.
“We leaned on one another through the ups and downs, taking turns holding each other up,” the “You’re Still The One” singer tells People. “We’ve become stronger and closer through it all, as have our children, Eja and Johanna.”
Blake Shelton and Gwen Stefani
Likely no one could have ever predicted that Grand Ole Opry member Blake Shelton would fall for rock band No Doubt’s lead singer, Gwen Stefani, but that’s exactly what happened. Both Shelton and Stefani went through painful divorces in 2015, Shelton to Miranda Lambert, and Stefani to Gavin Rossdale.
At the time, both Shelton and Stefani were filming The Voice together. What began as commiserating over their failed marriages turned into strong feelings for each other. By the end of 2015, Shelton and Stefani went public with their relationship, getting married in 2021.
“Gwen saved my life,” Shelton tells Billboard. “Who else on earth could understand going through a high-profile divorce from another musician? You can’t even imagine the similarities in our divorces.”
Reba McEntire and Rex Linn
When Reba McEntire married Narvel Blackstock in 1989, she had no plans of ever leaving that marriage. McEntire has openly admitted that she did not want the marriage to end when Blackstock asked for a divorce in 2015. But McEntire has fortunately found love again.
McEntire first met Rex Linn when they were filming the movie The Gambler together in 1991. They reconnected in 2020, and sparks flew. The two, who star in Happy’s Place together, recently confirmed their engagement.
“Rex and I get along in every aspect,” McEntire tells Fox News. “We love the cowboy way of life, cowgirl way of life, and we both got into the entertainment industry.”
Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood
Garth Brooks was married to his first wife, Sandy, when he met Yearwood. But even then, Brooks recalls feeling something extraordinary between the two.
“It’s strange because I felt that feeling like when you just meet your wife,” Brooks recounts of his first encounter with Yerawood, while on The Ellen DeGeneres Show.
Although rumors swirled about them being involved while married to other people, especially after releasing their “In Another’s Eyes” duet together in 1997, the two didn’t actually begin dating until 2001. The couple tied the knot in 2005.
Photo by GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images
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