Gloria Gaynor survived what she called her biggest regret.
According to the “I Will Survive” singer, it involved saying “I do” to former manager Linwood Simon.
“My marriage turned out to be a disaster,” Gloria, 81, told the Telegraph in an interview published Aug 13, “because I didn’t know how to set boundaries.”
Gloria—who was married to the music executive for 26 years until their divorce in 2005—added, “I observed all of his boundaries, but I didn’t set any of my own. That caused my marriage to go into the toilet.”
In fact, Gloria explained that a crucial part of childhood trauma trickled into her relationship with her husband leading to their eventual divorce.
“My father was not around which was the basis for my problems throughout my life,” she said. “A father is where a girl gets her sense of self-worth. She gets her understanding of what a man is supposed to be like and what he’s supposed to do for her and expect of her.”
“Not having had that,” she added. “I had no idea how to interact with my boyfriends or even with my husband. It absolutely affected my relationships with men in later life.”
The “Never Can Say Goodbye” singer previously opened up about the exact moment she knew her marriage was over, stating her ex refused to take her to the hospital amid a debilitating migraine.
“I said, ‘OK, I’m done. You really, truly don’t care about me, and I’m done.’ I’d have to be freakin’ comatose not to get that,” the “Honey Bee” singer told People in March 2023. “My friend nailed it when she said it was disregard. You don’t know how painful that can be until you experience it. Leaving him was extremely liberating.”
And almost two decades after hitting stop on her marriage, Gloria is just fine living life on her own terms, which also means being open to love again.
“I absolutely believe in love,” she explained. “Whether it’s in the cards for me, I sincerely doubt it, ’cause I’m truly not interested anymore. If it happens, it happens. If not, I’m good. It’s a wonderful place to be.”
