Shania Twain and Frédéric Thiébaud had a very unique start, meeting as friends and discovering romance while recovering from heartbreak. The Swiss businessman was married to a close friend of Twain’s, Marie-Anne. She then allegedly embarked on an affair with Twain’s ex-husband Robert Lange.
Thiébaud and Twain eventually found love again with one another, and have now been married for almost 15 years. Here’s their complete relationship timeline.
1990
The pair initially met because Twain was friends with Thiébaud’s wife Marie-Anne, who also worked as a housekeeper and assistant for Twain and her husband at the time, Robert Lange.
“Their two families would vacation and spend holidays together,” a source told People. “Shania considered Marie-Anne one of her best friends.”
December 2008
It was alleged in the late 2000s that Lange and Marie-Anne had an affair. Twain later told Oprah that she turned to Thiébaud for support because he could understand the situation.
“The person to comfort me was Fred because he’s been through the exact same thing,” she shared. “Fred was safe. So it was really a beautiful and perfect friendship.”
August 2009
In summer 2009, Twain and Thiébaud were seen wearing rings while on a trip in Canada at her lakefront property. They were joined by her son, Eja, and Thiébaud’s daughter, Johanna. However, a rep told People at the time, “They are not engaged, and they are not married.”
At the end of August, Twain seemingly addressed their relationship for the first time, sharing a travel video on her website of their skydiving trip in Florida, a visit to Egypt, and a tour through London. She called him “a dear friend and true gentleman.”
She added in a letter to fans, “Having gone through the suffering of his family splitting apart at the same time and under the same extreme circumstances, he understands me better than anyone.”
December 2010
On December 21, Twain wrote her own engagement announcement on her website, saying, “I am excited to share some personal news with you; I’m in love! Frederic Nicolas Thiebaud has been a true gift to me as a compassionate, understanding friend and over time, an amazing love has blossomed from this precious friendship. Fred and I are happy to announce our ENGAGEMENT!”
January 2011
The couple were married in Puerto Rico on New Year’s Day 2011.
“They were married at sunset in Rincon, Puerto Rico, in front of 40 of their closest family and friends,” a rep told People at the time. “After [the officiant] said, ‘You can now kiss the bride,’ Fred picked her up and kissed her. He was just jumping for joy. It was tearful, beautiful.”
May 2011
On The Ellen DeGeneres Show in May 2011, Twain talked about how they were able to relate when they first started spending time together.
“We slowly became very, very good friends,” Twain said. “We had many months of just trying to make sense of everything, holding each other up. It was a very difficult time emotionally for both of us.”
She continued, “I would say he was probably stronger than I was. He was a tremendous support—we were a support to each other—and really found something beautiful in the end and unexpected.”
That month, Twain was promoting her autobiography, From This Moment On, and shared a few details about their relationship with Redbook.
“The other day I was showering and he had to go out,” she said. “He knew I hadn’t eaten yet, and I had to go somewhere too. So before he left, he prepared me a salad. I could hear chopping and singing, and I’m thinking, What is he doing? I came out of the bathroom, and he’d set up a little table with a note saying, ‘I love you—Fred.’ And there was a glass of wine, and this beautiful salad with little tomatoes and flowers all around the edges. He’s very good at doing displays!”
She also shared how watching how he dealt with their respective splits gave her stronger feelings for him.
“I got to observe Fred going through the same thing I was, and I admired how he handled it,” Twain said. “That is where I fell in love with him because he was so exemplary in every way.”
In an interview with People, Thiébaud talked about the romantic gestures he made to Twain as well.
“To express my love, words are not enough,” he said. “I’m more in love with her every day. What happened between us really came as a complete surprise. We never, ever expected anything like this. It’s just really a beautiful love story.”
December 2012
Twain’s Las Vegas residency started at the end of 2012, and she thanked her husband for encouraging her to perform again.
“I cannot live without him,” she said. “I need that support. I just need what we have. It grounds me every day and reminds me that there are a lot of important things going on in the world. He keeps it all in perspective.”
February 2019
Twain celebrated Thiébaud on Valentine’s Day 2019, posting a pic of them wearing matching white on Instagram.
“Happy Valentine’s Day everyone,” she wrote in the caption.
November 2019
Before her appearance at the 2019 American Music Awards, Thiébaud shared a photo of her billboard in Times Square, captioning the post, “So Excited!”
January 2020
In an interview with AARP the Magazine, Twain discussed the “soap opera” of their early relationship, saying, “It’s twisted. But so beautifully twisted.”
February 2020
At the American Heart Association’s annual gala, Twain told People what has kept their relationship going for so long.
“I’m so grateful I found the faith and courage to love again—because the last thing you want to do when you’re crushed is love again,” Twain shared. “When you have a great loss, you lose faith; you get very discouraged.”
She continued, “I’m sure a lot of people say, ‘I’m never going to love again. I never want to fall in love again.’ Songs have been written about that. I’m really glad that that got turned around for me, and that’s what this relationship is.”
March 2020
Naturally, the couple were quarantining together in March 2020. Twain shared a post in which she celebrated having him by her side.
“Lucky that I love spending time with this one ,” she wrote over a picture of them together. “Tag your quarantine partner at home or online that’s keeping you 😁.”
September 2020
In Switzerland, the couple attended the 16th annual Zurich Film Festival. Twain shared photos on Instagram, writing in the caption, ”The Woman in Me (Needs the Man In You).”
Thiébaud shared his own photo from the event, writing, “With my❤️❤️❤️❤️ at Zurich Film Festival 🥰😍.”
March 2022
In March 2022, they attended a UFC match. Twain posted a photo on Instagram of herself and Thiébaud, and included a picture with country music artist Zac Brown, writing, “Night out with my best boys.”
May 2022
Sharing a photo of herself with Thiébaud on Instagram, she called her husband her “best friend.”
He then wrote in the comment section, “Love you.”
July 2022
The Netflix documentary Not Just a Girl debuted on July 26, 2022. It shared some of the details of their relationship and her divorce from Lange.
February 2023
Speaking to Dax Shepard on an episode of the Armchair Expert podcast, Twain talked about how she and her now-husband related before the alleged affair.
“I did not get close to Fred at all; we didn’t have each other’s numbers,” the country star shared. “He was not really part of our daily lives because he was working these crazy hours.”
She added, “I guess it was a beautiful surprise to then see how gracefully and graciously he was dealing with navigating the same pain.”
April 2023
Twain was presented with the Equal Play Award at the CMT Music Awards in Austin, Texas, and the pair were photographed snuggling together at the Moody Center.
August 2023
Twain announced her third Las Vegas residency, Come on Over, in summer 2023. Thiébaud congratulated her on Instagram, writing, “So happy my beautiful wife @shaniatwain is going back to Vegas. It’s gonna be a crazy party with all of her hits songs!”
June 2024
After her 2024 Glastonbury Festival performance in England, Thiébaud wrote on Instagram, “EXTREMELY PROUD of this amazing woman. You are the absolute BEST!!!!!”