Tina Turner’s abusive relationship to ex-husband Ike made her wary about finding love. However, in her new memoir My Love Story the Rock-N-Roll icon speaks candidly about meeting her now husband, Erwin Bach in 1985.
Turner describes Bach, who’s 16 years younger, as “so handsome.” Yet despite her global stardom, the then 45-year-old said she was insecure about entering into a relationship with him.
“I was never one of those women who had to have sex no matter what. There have been times when I’ve gone up to a year without it, to be honest. Don’t laugh, but I’ve always been a little nervous about starting a relationship with a new man because I didn’t know how my wig would be received! As much as I loved the convenience and easy beauty it gave me, I always ran the risk of meeting a man who might have a problem becoming romantically involved with Tina, with her bountiful hair and glamorous trimmings, but waking up with unadorned Anna Mae. What if he were disappointed by the real me?” Tuner writer.
The two soon became an item and later moved to Switzerland where they currently reside. Turner turned down his first marriage proposal in 2003 but agreed to wed when he tried for the second time in 2016. Shortly after their nuptials, Turner had a stroke, which left her unable to “stand on her own.” Tuner learned to walk again only to learn she had intestinal cancer.
Side effects led Turner to try more natural remedies, which only made matters worse and led to kidney failure. It was then Bach donated his kidney to save Turner’s life.
“I wondered if anyone would think that Erwin’s living donation was transactional in some way,” she writes. “Incredibly, considering how long we had been together, there were still people who wanted to believe that Erwin married me for my money and fame. What else would a younger man want with an older woman? Erwin always ignored the rumors.”
The April 2017 surgery was a success.
“I lived through a hellish marriage that almost destroyed me, but I went on. I know that my medical adventure is far from over. But I’m still here — we’re still here, closer than we ever imagined. I can look back and understand why my karma was the way it was. Good came out of bad. Joy came out of pain. And I have never been so completely happy as I am today.”
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