Tina Turner forgives Ike Turner

18 March 2018

Tina Turner has "forgiven" her late ex-husband Ike Turner.

Tina Turner

The 78-year-old singer no longer bears a grudge against her former spouse - who passed away in 2007 - despite her claims he abused her and controlled her life until they split in 1976, but if he was still alive, she'd still want to keep her distance from him.

She said: "As an old person, I have forgiven him, but I would not work with him. He asked for one more tour with me, and I said, 'No, absolutely not.' Ike wasn't someone you could forgive and allow him back in. It's all gone, all forgotten. I don't know what the dreams are about. The dreams are still there -- not the violence, the anger. I wonder if I'm still holding something in."

The 'What's Love Got To Do With It' hitmaker - who is now married to music executive Erwin Bach - met Ike when she was just 16 years old and went on to join his band, admitting she let him seduce her because she "didn't know how to say no".

She recalled to the Sunday Times magazine: "I felt awful. I didn't know how to say no, because I needed the work. I think I wasn't educated to handle that."

Tina claims her former spouse was violent towards her because he was afraid she would leave him, and though he was unfaithful to her, that wasn't one of the worst aspects of their marriage.

She said: "There was violence, because he had this fear that I was going to leave him. The other women, because I didn't love him that way... the other women weren't so bad, but it was the constant, constant ill treatment."

In 1965, the 'Best' singer - who has two sons, Craig, 59, with former boyfriend Raymond Hill and Ronnie, 57, with Ike - recorded 'River Deep - Mountain High' with producer Phil Spector, who paid her then-husband to stay out of the studio, and Tina rediscovered her passion for music.

She remembered: "'Oh,' I thought, 'I get to sing again.' I had the pleasure of finally singing, letting my voice show itself. It was the peak of his productions. He wanted a voice that would stand on top of the arrangement. It was an adventure, actually."