SHANIA TWAIN's close friend and longtime assistant is finally speaking out – and denying reports she's behind the singer's surprise split from her husband of 14 years, PEOPLE reports in its new issue.
Speaking for the first time since the news of the alleged affair became public, Marie-Anne Thiébaud, 37, said, "You cannot believe everything you read in the press." When asked directly if she had an affair with Twain's husband, music producer Robert "Mutt" Lange, she replied, "No."
That contradicts several sources close to the situation, who say Thiébaud and Lange left their spouses for each other and continue to maintain a romantic relationship. Twain, 42, and Lange, 59, who have a 6-year-old son, Eja, announced their separation May 15. Since then, the "You're Still the One" singer – "devastated" by the revelations, according to sources – has sought refuge with family in her native Canada.
Thiébaud began working for the ultra-private couple after they moved to Switzerland in 2000, acting as their personal assistant, secretary and manager of their vast château. By all accounts, she became one of Twain's closest confidants. The two attended the 2006 Swiss Red Cross Ball together.
"They celebrated holidays and birthdays together," says a source. "They were very good friends."
Lange has also denied that he is dating Thiébaud, saying the split was "just a growing apart."
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The Original Story
What caused the sudden breakup of Shania Twain and her husband, music producer Robert "Mutt" Lange, after 14 years of marriage? His relationship with another woman, say several sources.
Reached by PEOPLE after the separation was announced in a statement, Lange called the split "an unfortunate thing." He added, "It's literally just a growing apart, that's all."
But sources close to the situation say a third party was involved: Marie-Anne Thiébaud, a longtime secretary and manager of the couple’s chateau in Switzerland. "Mutt and Marie-Anne left their spouses for each other and are still in a relationship," says one source.
Lange denies the claims. "It's absolutely not the reason [for the separation]," the famously reclusive producer told PEOPLE when asked about the alleged affair. He also denied that he was in a romantic relationship with Thiébaud: "I'm not, no," he said. "It's not true." (Thiébaud could not be reached for comment.)
Twain, 42, and Lange, 59, married in 1993. They have a 6-year-old son, Eja (pronounced "Asia") D'Angelo.
An insider says Shania is "devastated. This came out of left field ... She loved him." Another source close to Twain tells PEOPLE the Canadian-born star is coping with the help of "a very close-knit group of family and friends."
