Gloria Gaynor, the iconic singer of "I Will Survive," has weathered what she deemed her deepest regret—a marriage she entered into with her former manager, Linwood Simon. In an interview with the Telegraph published on August 13th, the 81-year-old revealed, "My marriage turned into a calamity because I was unaware of how to establish personal boundaries." Married to the music executive for 26 years until their divorce in 2005, Gloria further elaborated, "I respected all of his boundaries meticulously, yet failed to establish any of my own. This led my marriage down the drain."
Gloria explained that a pivotal aspect of her childhood trauma inadvertently influenced her relationship with her husband, ultimately contributing to their divorce. She reflected, "The absence of my father laid the groundwork for my lifelong struggles. A father is the cornerstone where a girl forms her sense of self-worth. He shapes her understanding of what a man ought to be, what he should do for her, and what he expects from her." Lamenting, "Deprived of that, I was clueless about interacting with my boyfriends or even my husband. This profoundly impacted my subsequent relationships with men."
The "Never Can Say Goodbye" chanteuse had previously opened her heart about the precise moment she realized her marriage was over. She recounted how her ex-husband refused to take her to the hospital during a severe migraine. In March 2023, Gloria told People, "I said, 'Alright, I've had enough. You genuinely don't care about me, and I'm done.' One would have to be comatose not to grasp that." She continued, "My friend hit the nail on the head when she said it was disregard. You can't fathom how agonizing that is until you've lived through it. Leaving him was incredibly liberating."
Nearly two decades after terminating her marriage, Gloria is thriving, living life on her own terms. This newfound freedom also means she is open to love once more. She elucidated, "I unequivocally believe in love. Whether it's meant for me or not, I seriously doubt it, as I'm genuinely uninterested anymore. If it happens, it happens. If not, I'm content. It's a magnificent place to be."
