"As an old person, I have forgiven him, but it would not work with him"- Says Tina Turner On Ex-Husband, Ike.

Tina Turner recently spoke to The Times of London about an assortment of topics, ranging from the upcoming stage musical about her life, her Swiss citizenship and her relationship with ex-husband, Ike Turner. 

The Turners’ turbulent marriage has been highly documented, especially in the “Proud Mary” singer’s 1993 biopic, "What’s Love Got To Do With It". According to the musician, she forgives her ex-husband for his past instances of domestic abuse. 

“As an old person, I have forgiven him, but it would not work with him,” the 78-year-old legend explained. “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.” 

Turner also revealed in the interview that she sometimes thinks about Ike, who died in 2007. She says that she doesn’t think about the abuse- instead, the good memories sometimes linger. 

Ike Turner & Tina Turner.

“I don’t know what the dreams are about,” she explained. “The dreams are still there — not the violence, the anger. I wonder if I’m still holding something in.”

In his 2001 autobiography Takin’ Back My Name, Ike wrote that he “never beat” his ex-wife, despite reports and recollection from Tina that say otherwise.


“Sure, I’ve slapped Tina,” he documented. “There have been times when I punched her to the ground without thinking. But I never beat her.” The former couple’s divorce was finalized in 1978, and since then, Tina has been inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame, has won a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, received a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame and got remarried.