Frédéric Thiébaud was married to Shania Twain's best friend before an affair swapped their spouses
Frédéric Thiébaud is the Swiss businessman who married country music icon Shania Twain on New Year's Day 2011 — and their path to the altar is one of the most unlikely love stories in celebrity history. Shania and Frédéric fell in love after her first husband allegedly had an affair with her best friend Marie-Anne — who also happened to be Frédéric's wife. United by shared betrayal, the two found comfort, then love, in each other.
Source: Getty Images
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Key takeaways
- Profile summary
- What does Frédéric Thiébaud do for a living?
- How did Shania Twain meet Frédéric Thiébaud?
- Frédéric Thiébaud and Shania Twain: relationship timeline
- Who is Marie-Anne Thiébaud?
- Latest news
- Frédéric Thiébaud's net worth
- FAQ
- 1. How did Shania Twain meet Frédéric Thiébaud?
- 2. What is Frédéric Thiébaud's job?
- 3. How old is Frédéric Thiébaud?
- 4. Who is Marie-Anne Frédéric Thiébaud?
- 5. How tall is Frédéric Thiébaud?
- 6. Where do Shania Twain and Frédéric Thiébaud live now?
- 7. Does Frédéric Thiébaud have children?
- 8. Are Shania Twain and Frédéric Thiébaud still together?
- Quick facts
Key takeaways
- Frédéric Nicolas Thiébaud was born on 1 August 1970 in Switzerland.
- He is a former Nestlé executive who later launched his own business consultancy.
- His ex-wife, Marie-Anne Thiébaud, worked as Shania Twain's personal assistant before allegedly having an affair with Shania's then-husband, Robert "Mutt" Lange.
- Frédéric and Shania married on 1 January 2011 in Rincón, Puerto Rico.
- In 2026, Shania called Frédéric her "forever true love" in a People interview marking 15 years of marriage.
Profile summary
Full name | Frédéric Nicolas Thiébaud | Eilleen Regina Edwards ("Shania" Twain) |
Date of birth | 1 August 1970 | 28 August 1965 |
Birthplace | La Tour-de-Peilz, Vaud, Switzerland | Windsor, Ontario, Canada |
Nationality | Swiss | Canadian |
Occupation | Business executive / consultant | Singer-songwriter |
Height | 5 ft 11 in (180 cm) | 5 ft 4 in (163 cm) |
Married | 1 January 2011 | 1 January 2011 |
Children | Johanna Thiébaud (with Marie-Anne) | Eja Lange (with Mutt Lange) |
What does Frédéric Thiébaud do for a living?
Frédéric Thiébaud is a Swiss business executive, best known professionally for his long career at the global food company Nestlé. He studied Business Administration and Management at the School of Economic and Business Administration in Geneva, graduating in 1992.
After working at several local marketing companies, he landed a role at Nestlé, where he was initially a team lead manager working on multiple international projects, before being promoted in 2005 to head of operations for the company in Asia and Australia.
Frédéric quit his job at Nestlé in 2010 to start his own business consultancy company, which is still operating. His Instagram bio describes his work as "international business, entertainment projects."
Did Frédéric Thiébaud want to be a singer?
Before corporate life took hold, the Swiss businessman once harboured ambitions of being a musician and reportedly wanted to pursue a career as a singer. That early passion may explain the warmth with which he has supported Shania's own country singer career ever since.
How did Shania Twain meet Frédéric Thiébaud?
How did Shania Twain meet Frédéric Thiébaud? The answer involves equal measures of heartbreak and serendipity. Shania first met Frédéric in Switzerland in the 1990s when she and her then-husband Robert "Mutt" Lange hired Frédéric's wife Marie-Anne Thiébaud as a house manager.
Marie-Anne was married to Frédéric Thiébaud, a Swiss executive for Nestlé, and the two families quickly became close. As Shania later recalled, "Fred and Mutt were good friends, and Marie-Anne and I were good friends," she told Oprah Winfrey.
Source: Getty Images
The affair that changed everything
Their friendship and marriage were shattered in 2008 when it was revealed that Marie-Anne and Lange had been having an affair for several months. It was Frédéric himself who first discovered the affair between Mutt Lange and Marie-Anne. Frédéric said in an interview that he found out in a "concrete way" that Lange and Marie-Anne had been romantically involved, and when they refused to tell Shania themselves, he told her.
Both Mutt and Marie-Anne have denied that infidelity was the cause of his divorce from Shania.
Shared grief becomes friendship
Shania turned to Frédéric because he was the only person who truly understood her pain.
"The person to comfort me was Fred because he's been through the exact same thing. Fred was safe. So it was really a beautiful and perfect friendship." — Shania Twain, to Oprah Winfrey
Shania later told Armchair Expert in 2024 that it "was a beautiful surprise to then see how gracefully and graciously he was dealing with navigating the same pain," adding: "He was so thoughtful about it."
She also said of Frédéric: "Fred's so smart. This is one of the smartest people I know and he didn't know either. That helped me feel better ... neither of us saw it coming," during a 2023 appearance on the Armchair Expert podcast.
Frédéric Thiébaud and Shania Twain: relationship timeline
- 1990s — The pair met in Switzerland when Twain and her then-husband Lange hired Thiébaud's wife Marie-Anne to assist them and look after their home.
- 2008 — Twain and Frédéric were devastated by the betrayal and filed for divorce from their respective spouses.
- August 2009 — Engagement rumours swirled after Twain and Thiébaud were spotted wearing rings in Canada while vacationing at the singer's lakefront cottage with her son, Eja, and Thiébaud's daughter, Johanna.
- December 2010 — The couple became engaged on 20 December 2010.
- 1 January 2011 — On New Year's Day 2011, Twain and Thiébaud were married in a small sunset ceremony in Rincón, Puerto Rico.
On announcing their engagement, Shania wrote on her website: "Frédéric Nicolas Thiébaud has been a true gift to me as a compassionate, understanding friend and over time, an amazing love has blossomed from this precious friendship. Fred and I are happy to announce our ENGAGEMENT!"
Source: Getty Images
What is the secret to their marriage?
Shania has credited Frédéric's communication skills for their lasting bond, telling People: "He's really good at reminding both of us that we have to keep communication open."
"He's the greatest talker, and he's not inhibited at all when expressing his feelings, which is really wonderful in a man. If you have a man that is really open and wants to keep the communication open, you're blessed as a woman." — Shania Twain, to People
"I got to observe Fred going through the same thing I was and I admired how he handled it," Twain told Redbook in May 2011. "That is where I fell in love with him, because he was so exemplary in every way."
Who is Marie-Anne Thiébaud?
Marie-Anne was a close friend and personal assistant of Shania Twain, who had moved to Switzerland with her husband Mutt Lange. She also worked as an interpreter for Lange, and she and Frédéric had a daughter named Johanna, born in 2001.
Twain confirmed in a 2023 appearance on the podcast Armchair Expert with Dax Shepard that Lange was still with Marie-Anne Thiébaud — Frédéric's ex-wife — at that time.
Latest news
Shania has been vocal about her 15-year marriage in recent months. She looked back at how far she and Frédéric have come, saying he "would have been my lifelong love even from then" had she met him earlier — and telling People in July 2026: "This is the love I'm going to grow old with, and it's a beautiful feeling."
Shania also attended the 2026 Academy of Country Music Awards on 17 May, where she hosted the ceremony at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas.
She is also set to perform at Thomond Park Stadium in Limerick, Ireland, on 7 July 2026.
Frédéric Thiébaud's net worth
Frédéric Thiébaud's estimated net worth is around $3.5 million, according to multiple celebrity biography sources. His income streams have included:
- A senior executive career at Nestlé, one of the world's largest food companies
- His own business consultancy firm, launched in 2010
- International business and entertainment projects, as listed on his personal Instagram
No primary verification from Forbes or Celebrity Net Worth exists for Thiébaud specifically, so this figure should be treated as an estimate. His wife Shania Twain has a reported net worth of $400 million, built on over 100 million records sold worldwide.
FAQ
1. How did Shania Twain meet Frédéric Thiébaud?
Twain met Thiébaud in Switzerland in the 1990s when the singer and her then-husband Lange hired Thiébaud's wife Marie-Anne to assist the family and help take care of their home. They became close after discovering their spouses were allegedly having an affair in 2008.
2. What is Frédéric Thiébaud's job?
Frédéric Thiébaud is a Swiss business executive who spent most of his career working within the upper levels of the Nestlé corporation. He left Nestlé in 2010 to start his own business consultancy.
3. How old is Frédéric Thiébaud?
Frédéric Thiébaud was born on 1 August 1970, making him 55 years old as of August 2026.
4. Who is Marie-Anne Frédéric Thiébaud?
Marie-Anne Thiébaud was Frédéric's first wife and Shania Twain's close friend and personal assistant. Their marriages were shattered when it was revealed that Marie-Anne and Mutt Lange had been having an affair.
5. How tall is Frédéric Thiébaud?
Frédéric Thiébaud stands at 5 feet 11 inches (180 cm) tall.
6. Where do Shania Twain and Frédéric Thiébaud live now?
The Canadian star can be found in one of her residences in Canada, Switzerland, Las Vegas, and the Bahamas with her Swiss husband. They are primarily settled in his native Switzerland; according to L'Illustré, the couple owns a home in La Tour-de-Peilz, with views of mountains and a lake.
7. Does Frédéric Thiébaud have children?
Shania shares son Eja Lange with Mutt Lange, while Frédéric and Marie-Anne share daughter Johanna Thiébaud. The children are close in age and have grown up together.
8. Are Shania Twain and Frédéric Thiébaud still together?
Yes. Shania Twain has been married to Frédéric Thiébaud for 15 years, and in 2026 she described him as her "forever true love" in a widely-reported interview with People.
Quick facts
- Frédéric's full name is Frédéric Nicolas Thiébaud.
- He was born on 1 August 1970 in La Tour-de-Peilz, Switzerland.
- He spent his career as a senior executive at Nestlé before founding his own consultancy in 2010.
- He discovered his wife Marie-Anne's alleged affair with Mutt Lange and personally told Shania Twain.
- He married Shania Twain on New Year's Day 2011 in a sunset ceremony in Rincón, Puerto Rico.
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