‘I’ve had breakdowns’, LeAnn Rimes on the ‘trauma’ of child stardom & the aftermath of affair that ended 2 marriages

THERE'S nary uncertainty LeAnn Rimes has earned her spot arsenic a manager connected ITV’s The Voice.

The 42-year-old singer landed her archetypal grounds woody astatine conscionable 11, and by 14 she was the youngest idiosyncratic to triumph not one, but 2 Grammy Awards successful 1997.

With implicit 40 illustration hits and 45 cardinal grounds income worldwide, she knows much than astir what it takes to marque a star. “I consciousness similar I’ve got a batch to offer,” she says.

“I was truthful young erstwhile I got into this concern and I started successful specified an big world, but I didn’t truly person a batch of mentors that walked maine done things.”

And contempt being the lone pistillate connected the endowment show’s sheet – which features seasoned coaches Sir Tom Jones and will.i.am, arsenic good arsenic chap newcomers McFly’s Tom Fletcher and Danny Jones – LeAnn has had nary problems settling in.

“I emotion being the lone girl,” she admits.

“I emotion the boys, they took truly bully attraction of me. I grew up astir men connected the roadworthy touring erstwhile I was a kid. I person ever been benignant of a guy’s girl. I’ve had the champion clip with them.”

She says: “I didn’t truly cognize anyone connected the sheet personally, but we conscionable clicked. I had heard of McFly, but I’d not met them before, whereas will.i.am and I knew each different successful passing.

"With Sir Tom, I met him erstwhile I was 15, backstage astatine Top Of The Pops and I hadn’t seen him since. It was bully to reconnect with him. Sir Tom has truthful galore stories – he’s the best.

"He’s been [performing] for 60 years – I’ve been doing it 31 years and I deliberation that is simply a agelong time! But each of america are seasoned veterans and I deliberation it shows – we cognize however to marque TV.”

The Voice is present successful its 13th bid and LeAnn peculiarly loved the unsighted audition round, successful which the coaches beryllium with their backs to the singers, focusing connected their dependable and lone turning astir if they deliberation they are bully capable to beryllium connected their team.

“It was truthful iconic to beryllium successful that large reddish chair,” she says.

“For me, it’s ever astir the emotion. I’ll crook if idiosyncratic gives maine chills oregon makes maine cry. People tin deed large notes, but it’s that other thing – that’s erstwhile I cognize I request to turn.

“It’s truthful hard not turning for radical – I consciousness perfectly awful. When we watched the episodes back, I was crying the full time, thinking: ‘I’m truthful sorry’.

“You can’t ever get it right. But I inactive get told ‘no’ each the clip and I don’t fto it derail me. I judge successful myself. You person to physique up that benignant of assurance successful this business. But it’s rough.”

Being successful the nationalist oculus is not casual astatine immoderate age, but LeAnn was inactive a kid erstwhile she deed the large time.

It was lone portion helping rise her histrion hubby Eddie Cibrian’s 2 boys – Mason, present 21 and Jake, 17, who helium shares with ex-wife Brandi Glanville – that she realised however overmuch of her ain puerility she missed retired on.

“I was young,” she admits. “Too young? It was conscionable my journey, I can’t alteration it. Would I urge it to anybody? No, perfectly not. At the time, I didn’t deliberation I was that young – it wasn’t until my stepsons deed those ages that I realised however young I was. It enactment it into position for me.

“My beingness was precise abnormal. I don’t retrieve a batch of my teens, it was specified a whirlwind. I adjacent recorded a duet with Elton John astatine 15.

"At the time, I was like, ‘Cool!’ and I’m looking backmost present like: ‘Oh my god, that was beauteous amazing’. I conscionable didn’t person the context.

“There’s a portion of maine that wishes I had that accepted high-school experience. But I look astatine my stepsons going to precocious school, and it’s not each that, truthful I’m good!”

LeAnn seems incredibly grounded – truthful however did she debar going disconnected the rails similar different ‘90s kid stars, specified arsenic Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan?

“Oh no, I didn’t debar it,” she admits. “I mean, I did [go disconnected the rails]. I decidedly had my breakdowns, conscionable similar immoderate quality does. You spell done those acheronian times successful your beingness and you turn from them, hopefully – and I did. Look, I person plentifulness of trauma from being successful this business. You’re gonna person it, whether you’re a kid oregon not.

“But determination were conscionable nary cameras [back then]. It’s mode worse present with societal media, you can’t get distant from it – everybody’s connected their camera phone.

“People accidental connected the show: ‘What bash you archer these caller artists?’ I’m like: ‘Don’t bash it.’ I’m kidding, but you person to beryllium prepared that it’s not [all] glitz and glamour. It’s hard work, you request a heavy skin, and you’re inactive going to person disappointments.”

Camera phones aside, does she consciousness determination is much extortion and attraction successful spot for young stars nowadays?

LeAnn shakes her head. “No, I truly don’t deliberation it has changed astatine all,” she says.

“Ultimately, the [record] statement is determination and you are a product, astatine the extremity of the day. I don’t deliberation that benignant of mentality has changed.

"Although, radical are much acrophobic of being called retired for atrocious behaviour, whereas successful the past, they could get distant with a lot. It’s much astir fearfulness than really wanting to support young girls.”

While LeAnn mightiness person avoided contention successful her teens, she was caught up successful a ungraded during her archetypal matrimony to cook Dean Sheremet.

The brace had been unneurotic for 8 years erstwhile LeAnn had an matter with her now-husband Eddie, who she met portion making the movie Northern Lights successful 2009.

His woman of 8 years, Brandi, filed for divorcement aft their narration was revealed.

In June 2010, LeAnn spoke astir it, saying: “What happened is not who I am. But I bash cognize however overmuch I emotion him. So, I’ve ever said I don’t unrecorded my beingness with regret. I can’t.”

The brace joined successful a tiny ceremonial successful April 2011, but didn’t hide the hatchet with Brandi – who starred successful The Real Housewives Of Beverly Hills – until during the pandemic, erstwhile they each celebrated Mother’s Day together. 

Reflecting connected however they got to that point, LeAnn says: “It takes a agelong time. The kids were 2 and six erstwhile I archetypal met them.

"They were young and it took a bully 3 oregon 4 years to settee into things. And then, erstwhile radical stopped penning brainsick s**t astir us, it was yet similar we could conscionable unrecorded quietly.

“People aren’t pursuing america each the clip immoderate more. It’s been a truly agelong time, but it besides feels similar yesterday astatine the aforesaid time. But I deliberation we person earned it.”

Eddie has accompanied LeAnn connected our shoot, and it’s wide the brace are inactive caput implicit heels successful emotion 15 years aft getting together.

“For definite [it was worthy it]. Obviously determination was intent [to however they got together],” she says.

“We person a large life.” And bash the blessed mates ever see bringing backmost their 2014 world show, LeAnn And Eddie?

“Absolutely not,” she says, adamantly. “We bash sometimes recreate it connected Instagram. You tin stock and you don’t request cameras pursuing you 24/7. I deliberation radical get much of our personalities present from the anserine s**t that we post,” the vocalist laughs.

While LeAnn mightiness not person got to person her ain high-school experience, her euphony did person a immense interaction connected millions of teenage girls, mostly acknowledgment to the 2000 smash-hit movie, Coyote Ugly.

LeAnn provided the vocals for the movie’s main character, Violet, arsenic good arsenic the much-loved taxable opus Can’t Fight The Moonlight, which changeable to No.1 successful the charts and became the 55th bestselling opus of the Noughties successful the UK.

She says: “People archer maine they inactive ticker Coyote Ugly astatine slightest erstwhile a month, due to the fact that it’s ever connected TV. I loved the euphony for the film, but I ne'er expected it to beryllium arsenic palmy arsenic it has been.”

LeAnn adjacent makes a cameo successful the movie, dancing connected the Coyote Ugly barroom astatine the end. “It’s truthful cute,” she smiles.

“I was truthful young. I was 17, and that was my archetypal clip being successful a movie similar that. Having to creation sexy connected a barroom was precise unusual – I was conscionable truthful not acceptable for that! I was inactive uncovering myself and figuring retired however to move, I wasn’t adjacent aged capable to spell to bars. The lone mode I was dancing connected apical of bars astatine that clip was successful a film!”

It’s wide that LeAnn is present astatine the signifier successful her beingness wherever she is much motivated by the things she wants to do, alternatively than what volition assistance her professionally.

“I deliberation that you realise successful your 40s however abbreviated beingness is,” she says.

“I’m conscionable like: ‘F**k it’, pleasing different radical is not worthy my time. It each boils down to: ‘Am I happy? Is determination joyousness successful my life?’ Otherwise, wherefore bash it?

“I americium happy. I marque the euphony I privation to make. That’s wherever I americium astatine close now. I’ve recorded songs successful the past that I knew would beryllium vigor hits [but] I don’t sing them immoderate more, due to the fact that I did it for the incorrect reasons. In my precocious 20s I conscionable decided like, I can’t bash that immoderate more.

“I really released a chant grounds successful 2020 and I’m moving connected my 2nd one. I make candles and I person chants to spell on with them, similar saying a mantra. I’ve got a cardinal different antithetic ideas…

“I’m going to commencement moving connected a gospel album, I privation to bash a creation grounds – we’ve already started that a small bit. I’ll besides beryllium moving connected different workplace medium astatine immoderate point.

“So, determination are a batch of antithetic things, and it’s like: ‘Oh, what floats my vessel these days?’”

Although her cognition to making euphony has changed, LeAnn inactive looks arsenic fresh-faced arsenic erstwhile she started out. Does she interest astir ageing?

“Trust me, I bash each the things to marque definite that I tin prolong my younker arsenic overmuch arsenic I can,” she says.

“I person a facialist successful LA. She’s similar a wizard, I don’t cognize what she does. She has kept my look lifted for the past 8 years.

“I person not injected a happening into my look due to the fact that of her, and I curse she is the best. But I person each the gadgets astatine home. I person each instrumentality known to man, and I deliberation it is astir what you substance your assemblage with, too.

“So yes, I care, but I’m not super-obsessive astir it. I similar ageing. We’ve earned it. I think: ‘Thank god, we’re inactive here’.” 

•  Watch The Voice UK, Saturdays, 8pm, ITV1 and ITVX.