Tuesday, October 29, 1996
By ANIKA VAN WYK
Calgary Sun
You can take the girl out of Canada but you can't take Canada out of the girl. "Shania Twain is one of those rare people who is beautiful and charming. She is still a Northern Ontario girl," says W5 correspondent Susan Ormiston, who interviewed Twain for a segment airing today at 8 p.m. on DE.
"She's a natural star. She's not awkward or pretentious. Part of that comes from growing up in difficult circumstances," says Ormiston about the country superstar, who had to raise her younger siblings after her parents were killed in a car accident.
Despite being impressed by Twain, Ormiston does challenge her a few times in the segment, which follows Twain to her homecoming in Timmins, Ont., and backstage at last month's Canadian Country Music Awards in Calgary.
"I found out it's very controversial to ask tough questions of a mega-star. The Timmins Daily Press found that out in spades and I got a bit of that myself," says Ormiston.
Twain had threatened to sue the newspaper in her hometown after it ran a story claiming she doesn't have any Native blood. Twain's adopted father is Native but not her birthfather.
"She was a bit vulnerable on her heritage. When asked about her family, she really took the mask off and told me why she didn't involve that family in her life."
Missing from the profile on Twain is her husband and producer Robert (Mutt) Lange.
"He's not even in her wedding photo," says Ormiston.