How Tina Turner inspired domestic violence survivors – but never let abuse define her
In 1993, when asked in an interview with Vanity Fair what she had stood up for, Tina Turner’s response was simple: “I stood up for my life.”
A rock and feminist icon, when the star first spoke out about the violence she had suffered at the hands of her ex-husband and musical partner, Ike, her openness about the subject was groundbreaking.
Turner was one of the first high-profile figures to do so, giving a voice to thousands of others experiencing similar situations and paving the way for a culture shift in the way domestic abuse is discussed and how survivors are treated. At the same time, she refused to let it define her.
Tina Turner on stage with Ike Turner in 1966
After first revealing the abuse to People magazine in 1981, in her memoirs and when asked subsequently in interviews, she spoke of the “torture” of her 16-year marriage; about the broken bones and the humiliation, the beatings before she would have to dazzle audiences alongside him on stage.
“I was living a life of death,” she said in the 2021 documentary about her life. “I didn’t exist. But I survived it. And when I walked out, I walked. And I didn’t look back.”
Read more:
Beyonce and Oprah lead tributes to rock queen Tina Turner
The triumph and trauma of a music legend
Turner was already a star. But after her marriage, she would later become an icon: the Queen of Rock’n’Roll.
“When a survivor who is in an abusive relationship hears a woman like Tina Turner talk about her experiences, talk about her survival journey, and then can see the success and recovery that she’s achieved – it really does give survivors and those experiencing domestic abuse the courage and the hope to reach out and seek help,” Women’s Aid chief executive Farah Nazeer told Sky News.
“[Turner shows] it is possible to move away from these harmful relationships, which can feel all-encompassing, which can feel like imprisonment. It’s incredibly powerful to have a woman like Tina Turner, an iconic woman, a celebrity, speak out in this way.”
‘It wasn’t something socially acceptable to talk about’
When Turner first revealed the abuse she had endured, it was “revolutionary”, Ms Nazeer says. “It provided a voice to those women who felt that they could not talk about it; it wasn’t something that was societally acceptable to talk about.
“It began that transformation where we now do talk about these issues, and we now do accept more and more that domestic abuse is the crime of the perpetrator and survivors shouldn’t feel guilt, they shouldn’t feel shame. But that was very much the culture in those days.”
Boney M singer Liz Mitchell, who was friends with Turner, praised the star’s courage in overcoming the struggles she faced in life. “Today, her whole image is a testimony for many women to realise that things can go wrong in your life, but if you can find a way out of it, take the way, and move on like she did. She just stayed strong.”
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Boney M star on Tina Turner
‘She was the reason I left abusive relationship’
Turner’s bravery in speaking about abuse has prompted a swell of praise following her death at the age of 83, with survivors sharing stories of how she inspired them.
“My heart is broken,” wrote Trisha Jopson, from New York, in a tribute on Instagram. “She was the reason I left an abusive relationship. She was so much more than an entertainer. She was an absolute inspiration.”
Spice Girl Melanie Brown, who has spoken out about her own experiences of alleged domestic abuse, is also among those who have praised the star.
The West End production of Tina – The Tina Turner Musical had partnered with Women’s Aid, and as a patron of the charity the singer had been in the audience for the show the night before Turner’s death.
“She did the impossible,” Brown wrote on Instagram. “She left him, she survived, she got away, and gave ALL survivors like me hope.”
Campaigners say that as well as her music, this is Turner’s legacy.
“That’s the incredible message this iconic woman portrays,” says Ms Nazeer. “You can really see the success and the hope and the joy in Tina Turner, post-Ike.
“That really gives courage and a sense of hope to women who are experiencing domestic abuse – this is what life could be like afterwards.”
Angelina Jolie says although she appreciates being an artist, she would prefer for her legacy to be “a good mother” and to be known for her “belief in equality and human rights”.
The Oscar-winning actress stars as Maria Callas in the new Pablo Larrain film about the opera singer’s life.
Pic: StudioCanal
She has called Maria “the hardest” and “most challenging” role she has had in her career and put months of preparation into immersing herself into the world of opera.
Jolie, who recently reached a divorce settlement with actor Brad Pitt, told Sky News: “To be very candid, it was the therapy I didn’t realise I needed. I had no idea how much I was holding in and not letting out.
“So, the challenge wasn’t the technical [side of opera], it was an emotional experience to find my voice, to be in my body, to express. You have to give every single part of yourself.”
The biopic combines the voice of the Maleficent actress with recordings of Maria Callas.
Jolie believes it “would be a crime to not have [Callas’] voice through this because, in many ways, she is very present in this film”.
Who was Maria Callas?
Born in New York in 1923, Maria Callas was the daughter of Greek immigrants who moved back to Athens at the age of 13 with her mother and sister.
After enrolling at the Athens Conservatory, she made her professional debut at 17 and went on to become one of the most famous faces of opera, travelling around the world and performing at Covent Garden in London, The Met in New York and La Scala in Milan.
Callas’s final operatic performance took place at Covent Garden in 1965 when she was 41 but she continued to work conducting master classes at Juilliard School, doing concert tours and starring in the 1969 film Medea.
Written by Peaky Blinders creator Steven Knight, Maria focuses on the artist’s final years in the 1970s when she moved to Paris and disappeared from public view.
She died on 16 September 1977 at the age of 53.
Pic: StudioCanal
Jolie on changing motivations as an actor
Maria follows the life of an artist fully consumed by the art she creates and even remarks that “happiness never developed a beautiful melody”.
Reflecting on her own life in the spotlight, Jolie said she noticed her own career motivations change over the years.
“There’s this kind of study of being human that we do when we create, and we communicate with an audience because our work is not in isolation – it’s a connection.
“I think when I was younger, I had different questions about being human and different feelings and now as I’ve gotten older, I understand some things and now I have different questions.
“It’s a matter of life, right? And so maybe that’s interesting that this now is a character really contemplating death and really contemplating the toll of certain things in life that I, of course, couldn’t have understood in my 20s”.
Jolie at the New York Film Festival in September with three of her children (L-R) Pax, Zahara and Maddox. Pic: AP
A family affair
Two of Jolie’s children, Maddox and Pax, took on production assistant roles during the filming of Maria and witnessed their mother perform opera for the first time in public.
She says the film allowed them to create new experiences together and for her children to see her approach to playing a difficult role.
“Everyone in my home, we all give each other space to be who we are and we’re all different.
“I’m the mom, but I’m also an artist and a person and so my family has been very kind and gives me their understanding. They make fun of me, and they support me and just as you’d hope it would be.”
She adds: “When you play somebody who is dealing with so much pain, it’s very important to come home to some kindness.”
Maria is in cinemas now.
Tom Holland’s dad has confirmed his son’s engagement to Zendaya – revealing how the 28-year-old meticulously planned the proposal.
Zendaya, also 28, sparked engagement rumours when she attended last Sunday’s Golden Globes wearing a sparkling diamond on her ring finger.
Neither star has publicly addressed the rumours but Tom’s comedian father, Dominic Holland, has now confirmed the pair are set to wed.
He wrote in a post on his Patreon account: “Tom, as you know by now was very incredibly well prepared. He had purchased a ring.
“He had spoken with her father and gained permission to propose to his daughter.”
“Tom had everything planned out… When, where, how, what to say, what to wear,” he added.
Zendaya arrived at the Golden Globes with a noticeable piece of new jewellery. Pic: Invision/AP
Dominic also noted that while most men worry about being able to afford an engagement ring, he suspects his actor son was “more concerned with the stone, its size and clarity, its housing, which jeweller”.
Tom and Zendaya met on the set of Spider-Man: Homecoming in 2016, when they played the titular hero and his love interest MJ, respectively. Their romance was confirmed in 2021.
In his post, Tom’s father admitted fears over whether being in the spotlight could put a strain on the couple’s relationship.
He wrote: “I do fret that their combined stardom will amplify their spotlight and the commensurate demands on them and yet they continually confound me by handling everything with aplomb.”
“And even though show business is a messy place for relationships and particularly so for famous couples as they crash and burn in public and are too numerous to mention […] yet somehow right at the same time, I am completely confident they will make a successful union.”
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Zendaya rose to fame after landing a role in Disney sitcom Shake It Up, and became a household name after starring in Euphoria.
Holland – who has starred in three Spider-Man films opposite his now-fiancée – made his stage debut in Billy Elliot the Musical in 2008.
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