Every album in Tina Arena's career has gone Gold, Platinum or Multi-Platinum.
She's won 15 ARIA Awards; made it into the ARIA Hall of Fame and sang The Flame at the Opening Ceremony of the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games – the highest-rated TV telecast in Australian history.
But Italian-born Arena is more than just a beautiful voice. In fact, her story is a dazzling mix of warming and tragic.
In 1995, the singer-songwriter married her then-manager Ralph Carr. And right from the words 'I do', things were never quite right.
She writes in her autobiography Now I Can Dance that her family encouraged her to be a "runaway bride" on her wedding day. This was after she had a disagreement with her husband, who wasn't happy at her refusal to sell their wedding photos to a magazine.
Listen: Tina Arena speaks with Mia Freedman about the debacle that was her first marriage, and why she's in no rush to wed her new partner, on No Filter. Post continues after audio.
They split up after just two years, Arena told Mia Freedman, despite the fact that their divorce wasn't finalised until 1999.
"My first experience [with marriage] was disgraceful," Arena said. "And poorly treated under Australian law, because of what I went through financially... I went back to zero after 25 years of work... I found myself getting lost. I had a very ugly divorce."
And ugly it was. Arena said she was "humiliated" and "bullied" during that time, saying the whole experience was "deeply disturbing".
Top Comments
OMG stop the bagging of your marriage we heard it all before, why doesn't she just move on and think of what she has now. And in her marriage she needs to look at the positives and let go once and for all .
Sorry but Im over her going on about her first marriage, she is in a new relationship so get over your first marriage. We get it, it didn't work but maybe try and think of the good thinks that came out of it, 2 BEST EVER albums . Forcus on good and let go of the past OMG, or is she not over HIM?? I find the more people speak about their EX's the more they are not over him or her. Im sick of her alway speak bad about him I bet he wouldn't speak that way about her. Tina get over it please.