How To Fail With Elizabeth Day - Remembering Bonnie Tyler

Episode Date: July 9, 2026

It was a privilege to have Bonnie Tyler on How to Fail back in 2024 - and we are heartbroken to hear of her passing today.    Bonnie was open, funny and moving when she joined me on How to Fail. Total Eclipse of the Heart made her a global star, and at the time of this recording, she managed to squeeze in an hour on How to Fail between gigs and the release of her new album, In Berlin. It was also her first ever podcast interview.  You might want to bring the tissues for this one, as we have a bit of a weep when Bonnie talks about losing her amazing mum.  We also touched on miscarriage and a childfree life. Plus her failure at elocution lessons, the fascinating story behind her friendship with Tina Turner, performing for Putin (no, really), being a bit of a hoarder and the secret to a 50-year marriage. We love you Bonnie Tyler, rest in peace.  Production & Post Production Coordinator: Lily Hambly Engineer: Gulliver Tickell and Josh Gibbs Senior Producer: Hannah Talbot Executive Producer: Carly Maile How to Fail is an Elizabeth Day and Sony Music Entertainment Production. Find more great podcasts from Sony Music Entertainment at sonymusic.com/podcasts To bring your brand to life in this podcast, email [e-mail] Guest bookings for How To Fail only come from official @sonymusic.com emails Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

We at How to Fail were all so heartbroken to learn the news of Bonnie Tyler's passing. She came on How to Fail in 2024 and lit up the studio with her warmth and her humour and her anecdotes. And she also left many of us in tears when she spoke about the passing of her mother and her experiences with miscarriage. It felt only fitting that in honour of her memory, we reissued this episode with so much love for Bonnie Tyler. Tyler and her family. He finally got her. Oh my God, he got her. For years, a deranged man in Wichita, known as the poet, stalked Ruth Finley.

He sent her letters, gifts, and poems. The Wichita police put everything they had into Ruth's case, but got nowhere. The poet was always two steps in front of us, and we just didn't know why. And the city was already living in fear under the watch of another. monster who called himself BTK. And he also had a thing for poetry. Could we really have two different people? But no one could have guessed how this would end. That's one of those Hitchcock endings that we did not expect. From Sony Music Entertainment and New Metric Media, this is the poet. I'm Rachel Brown. The poet is available now on The Binge. Search for it wherever you get your podcast to start listening

today. Subscribers to The Binge can listen to all episodes, all at once, add free. Last month, a total solar eclipse was cited across America. As people rushed to put on their special spectacles to stare at the sun, an unexpected consequence was that a 1983 power ballad once again became number one across the United States. The song was Total Eclipse of the Heart, and its singer Bonnie Tyler is my guest today. She was born Gaynor Hopkins in Wales near Swansea. Her father was a coal miner who had fought in Dunkirk during World War II. She grew up in a council house and started singing in local clubs,

where she was spotted by a talent scout. Eventually she was offered a recording contract by RCA Records. The legendary Ronnie Scott was one of her managers. Her hit singles included It's a Heartache and Holding Out for a Hero, but it is total eclipse of the heart from her fifth album for which she remains the most well known. It has sold almost six million copies to date and remains a firm karaoke favourite.

Tyler has earned three Grammy and three Brit nominations during her illustrious career. She was one of the first Western singers to tour the then-Soviet Union and in 2013 represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest. Nine years later, she was awarded an Emmyman for services to music and charities. These days, she's still touring,

and last year released her memoir straight from the heart. Tyler turns 73 in June, although you wouldn't know it. But she says she has absolutely no intention of slowing down. I class myself as a working class girl, and I've never stopped working. I do an awful lot because I feel other people would love to be offered what I'm offered. Who am I to say no? Bonnie Tyler, welcome to How to Fail. I know what a strange title that is for someone that's done so much.

Exactly. Well, we're going to flip the notion of failure on its head because ultimately it's all a learning exercise. And do you sit before me as this legendary success story? And I am so honoured that you're here today because I understand it's your first ever podcast interview. Well, I've done thousands of interviews, but I've never actually heard them call it.

podcast, before. Well, I hope I will endeavour to make it a good experience. Right, oh, great. Thank you, Elizabeth. I wanted to start off talking about the importance of working to you. What does it mean to you to work? Well, everything. When I left school on the Friday, I was determined to get a job by the Monday and start

earning money so I could go out and buy things for myself. Although it was only a shop assistant, I got two jobs by, you. end of the day on the Friday after I left school. I had no qualifications. I was terrible in school. I got one O level and that's for cooking. God knows why I think she fell sorry for me. So I was working right from when I was 17. But then when I was 17 and a half, I really, because I'd always been singing in my bedroom with a hairbrush, you know. And it was kind of like fate was tempted. me to answer this advertisement that was in the local newspaper, you know. And I did.

And actually, that came after I entered a talent competition in the local rugby club. My auntie put my name down for it. But anyway, this advertisement said, looking for three girl singers to join Bobby Wayne and the Dixies. No experience needed. I thought, that's great. That's me. I'd never actually sang on a microphone before.

You know, I always used a hairbrush in my room. So I went along to the audition. There was about 34 girls there. And I thought, I got no chance here, you know. But I did. I became one of the Dixies. And I was with them for about 18 months. And then for my own band.

And we were working six nights a week every week, you know. And we loved it. This is why I call myself a working class girl, because I've always, always worked, and I've always thought, like you said in the beginning, people would love to have the opportunities I've had and to say no, it seems morally wrong, you know. Of course, I don't do everything that comes my way,

but, you know, if it's right, I'll do it. You've turned down quite a few celebrity reality TV shows, I understand. I turn them all down, I think. Do you regret saying no to any of them? No, not at all. Go in the jungle, my God, I couldn't think of anything worse. You know, I tell you, they've offered me really good money to do that. About five times, no chance.

There's no point never asking me again, you know, because I'm never going to do it. And of course, Big Brother years ago, they asked me no chance. I'm busy with my band anyway. My band have been with me for 35 years. some of them, you know. I have an awesome band. And just the other night now, I visited someone sold out shows in Europe, you know,

and I've come home for this podcast. Well, again, very flattered. Let's talk about Total Eclipse, if you'll allow me to. Tell me where you shot the video. Because it's also an iconic video as well as being an iconic song. Oh, absolutely. And I was very lucky at the time that MTV had just started. So you can imagine how wonderful opportunity, what wonderful opportunity that was.

And I was on heavy rotation. Sounds rude. Oh, hello. I was on heavy rotation on MTV, you know. And the video was extremely hard to do. It took two days. And we were in an old asylum somewhere outside of London. And it was freezing cold on that day.

In fact, there was snow on the floor as well. And I had to run through it barefoot. But Jim Steinman wrote the most incredible storyboard. Couldn't understand it, but I did it. But it was an incredible video. And it got nominated for a Grammy. And I lost out to Michael Jackson for the best song. That's right.

He won it. And I also got nominated. with the video with him. Thriller won it, and I have, what government need to be in here? I know, I guess we can live with that. I guess we can live with that. And I mentioned that it was a hit karaoke song

and still is incredibly popular. Have you ever either performed it at karaoke or walked into a karaoke booth where someone is singing it and murdering it? Obviously, many of them on YouTube that they send to me, you know, my friend and I were out last night and have a look at this video, you know, and it's like, oh my God, they love it, you know,

they just all get together. But, yes, I did actually do it once. Years and years and years ago, we were at this party down in Swansea, some local pub somewhere, you know, and they had a karaoke night on. And somebody put my name down, didn't they? Well, of course I had to do it, otherwise I come over, I can write spoilsport, you know. So I actually did two total clips of the heart and holding out for it. a year or, you know. Oh, I wish I'd been there, Bonnie. What a night that must have been for those

locals. Oh, it was fun. Tell me a bit about your voice because you have this extraordinarily powerful voice and it's got a slight raspy quality to it. And I understand that that's not something you were born with. That's something that happened. How did it happen? Well, you know, I was singing for seven years before I got discovered. I was singing locally for six nights a week and And that took a lot of wear and tear on my voice. And I developed nodules three times in my career. And they went away with rest twice before. But this time, they just wouldn't go.

It was, they were persistent, you know. So I had to have surgery to have them removed. And after the operation, I was told to be quiet for a month. Bonnie is actively rolling her eyes. Can you imagine me being quiet, you know, for anyway, I tried my best. I had a notepad and paper and a thing around me saying, I can't speak to you because I've just had a throat operation, you know. But in the end, I just found it too hard not to talk. So I stayed in.

Well, of course, when I stayed in and I had to stay in for like six weeks and I ate a lot, you know. I never had time off work. The only time I'd been off work in my life was after this operation, I had to be quiet. But I wasn't quiet enough. And it ended up with my going back to the consultant. And he said to me, what have we done? You've been singing, haven't you?

You've been, I said, no, yeah, yeah. You said, you've been talking. I said, I couldn't help it. I couldn't help it. He said, well, you've done it now. You're going to be like this, probably forever. It wasn't so bad. I went into the studio and I went, it's a heartache.

And they said, oh, my God, your voice has changed, you know. But we like it. And so it turned out to be a positive thing for me. That's so great. And that's really at the heart of everything this podcast is about, something that might be perceived of as a failure. One minute, it actually turns into this unique selling point. Yeah.

I had my first number three, in America. You know, everybody's dream was to make hits in America, you know, and I've done it a few times. But that was the first time with it, it's a heartache. Strangely enough, before I had chance to get my version out,

Juice Newton and Ronnie Specter had already copied and released it, but they never got played because they liked my raspyness, you know, and they played my version. And it went racing up. the charts, you know, to number three, three or four in America. Amazing. I mentioned in the introduction that you were born Gaynor and on stage you are Bonnie.

Yeah. Do you feel you have a split personality? Do you assume a role when you go on stage? Funny thing, yes. I'm Bonnie on stage, full of it and I'm anti-Gaena, Gaynor at home, you know. And all my family call me Gaynor, of course, and my friends. Before we get onto your failures, I want to ask you what it was like touring the Soviet Union, when you did, one of the first Western artists to do so. I was one of the first girls. I think it was the first Western girl to perform there. And it was very, very strange, but beautiful in a way as well

because I had my own band, obviously. I had my crew. And we had a Polish crew there as well. And we took our own catering. Thank God because in them days you had to queue for anything you know

we had I believe it was the KGB taking care of us we were in all these massive halls you know it was a bit strange because there'd be a lady

on every floor of the hotels we stayed you know it's a normal thing it was a normal thing in Russia then but they they watch everything

they write everything down whoever goes to room it's all written down, you know. But the audiences were loving it, you know, because they'd never had this before. But the strange thing is, the first 20 rows or something like that was all soldiers, you know, and police, the audience had to be very well behaved, you know. I mean, when you go to a concert, you want to go, yeah, you know, and sing, you know what I mean? Oh, ho ho, ho. In 1988, there was none of that then, you know. It completely changed then.

I mean, I've been to Russia so many times. I've sang in the Kremlin three times. Have you? Who for? Putin. I know. What was that like? He was in the front road one time. Was he dancing?

Please tell me. No, he had a face down to his feet. The image, I sort of want him to be like marring the words to total eclipse of the heart. Well, he was there because it was, I think this particular thing was like a charity for younger entertainers getting into it. Obviously, that's not going to happen anymore, which is a great shame because it had turned completely different to what the first time I went there. And then when I went back, I couldn't believe it. Like designer stores everywhere, you know. I didn't have to queue for anything.

I mean, we took her own cater and we had articulated lorries full of stuff, you know, that we'd taken over and plane. I don't know how they had they managed it. I even took my sunbed over there. Can you believe it? Did you? No wonder my skin is fried. Your skin is got to be. Thank God I never did my face, though. I always covered my face with a towel because I'd never look good with a tan face.

But my body was always brown. Now I'm paying for it, you know, because my skin on my arms and my legs and whatever. Oh, God. But... Well, you look great. My face is all right. Yeah, your face looks fabulous. Okay. So your first.

The first failure is elocution lessons. Oh, yes. How old were you when you started having elocution lessons? Well, I'd already started singing, and I was working like six nights a week in a nightclub. And I used to be frightened about talking in between songs, you know. I mean, I tell stories now in between every song, you know, and I go on and on. But then, oh, I was really nervous about talking, you know. And so the owner of the club where I worked, his daughter,

had been going to elocution lessons and she spoke very nicely, you know. And I said to her mother, where did she go for her elocution lessons? So she told me, Mr. Veganer Powell, so I said, can you give me a crash course in elucion lessons? Well, that didn't last very long. I said, I better leave you before you end up talking like me. So were you going because you wanted to diminish your Welsh accent? Yes.

Okay. I wanted to calm it down a bit, but I got no chance. I'm all over the world working, right? But there's no way I'm going to get rid of my Welsh accent. I can't do anything about it. It's a bit like Tom Jones, I suppose. He looked at him. He lived in America since God knows when until recently.

And he's still got his Welsh accent. I just imagine that all Welsh celebrities know each other. So do you know Tom Jones? Do you know Catherine Zeta Jones and Tom Jones? Well, Catherine Zeta Jones is my husband's second cousin. So her father is Robert's cousin. And I actually sang in their wedding in New York. But Tom Jones, yes, I've worked with them a few times.

In 1979, I think it was, when I had its heartache a huge hit in America, I told, I did three shows with him, supporting him, as if he needs any support. He doesn't need anybody to support him, but his manager knew my manager, and so I was on the bill, you know. And it was incredible. He was incredible and he still is, yeah.

And we all went out for dinner every night after the show. It was fabulous. But no, I don't have his telephone number. I can't call him a friend as such, you know, because I don't, we're not in touch. But, you know, the last time I saw him was that we were doing a charity show together with lots of other artists in the O2 in 2020, just before the lockdown came. That was the only other time I hadn't worked throughout my life during lockdown, you know.

But he was very nice. I got a lot of time for him and he's still awesome, yeah? Yeah. His voice is as strong as ever. Well, this way for you. If you've been sitting on a business idea, Shopify makes it unbelievably easy to make it real. Everything you need to start selling is there from day one, including the moment someone is actually ready to buy from you.

What surprised me early on was how smooth that first checkout felt. Shopify checkout helps more customers finish their purchase, and when they come back, their details are already saved, one tap, and they're done. It gave me this quiet confidence, like, oh, this is actually happening. And because Shopify handles the setup and the checkout, you suddenly have the headspace to focus on growing the thing, the part that actually lights you up. That shift from setting up to building is such a turning point. With Shopify, nothing stands between your idea and a real business. So go make it one.

Start your free trial at Shopify.com.uk slash fail. Start your free trial at Shopify.com.uk slash fail. I'm very interested in this idea of Welshness and your Welsh heritage though and I would love to talk about your parents who sound amazing. Tell us about your mum and your dad. Your dad was this World War II veteran. Yes.

And very affected by what he'd witnessed. Well, he saw my uncle and his brains shot out. You know what I mean? Sometimes occasionally when he'd come home and he'd had a few drinks, he'd be like crying and... saying about Uncle Frank, you know, and, you know, the things they went through, can you imagine. No. It can't imagine, can you know, be in Dunkirk, you know.

And my other uncle was there as well, my uncle Ernie. And he had terrible problems afterwards psychologically. But my father didn't have it that bad, you know, it's just memories coming back to him and in drink, you know. And he'd be like, there's a word for it now, isn't it? Post-traumatic. post-traumatic stress or something. But no, they just had to get on and deal with life, didn't they? But my father, he was only a minor for a very short time when he was a young man.

But he was working as a fitter and turner in the oilworks, in the BP. And when he was young as well, he used to be a very good boxer. You'd never think so, mine, because he was so beautiful. He was absolutely gorgeous. But I have got his blue eyes. You do have amazing blue eyes. My daddies. And was it a happy childhood?

Yes, it was very happy. We didn't have any material things as such, you know. But nobody did in them days, you know what I mean? I was born in 1951. And when you think of it, that's not long after the war, is it, you know? But my pride and joy was my bike, you know. I love my bike. I used to go everywhere on my bike.

Growing up in a big family, three sisters, two brothers. There wasn't a lot of, hardly any money around, just enough to get through, you know what I mean? The pantry was basically what was in the garden. You say you have three sisters and two brothers. Yeah. There was another sister. Oh, yes. Pauline.

Yeah, Pauline was still born. My mother never, ever got over Pauline, Diane, you know. She was full term, you know. Nine months, I can't. Do you know, the thing is, see, when you're young, and you told that you would have had another sister, but she was still born. It doesn't sink in.

What actually, my mother, actually, must have gone through. Carrying a baby for all those nine months. And then nothing at the end of it. It must have been traumatic. But she never really showed us her pain, but it must have been terrible for her. But she never did get over it, mind? She always, whenever people said, how many children do you have?

And she always counted Pauline, you know. And actually, in 2020, my brother, my eldest brother died, Lynn. I'm so sorry. He was so proud, you know. He was wonderful. And he wasn't ready to go. He was enjoying his life. You know, he loved life.

He loved his kids. He loved his grandkids. And he just died in his sleep. I'm so sorry. And now it was an awful shock. Awful shock. Anyway, sorry. I'm so sorry.

Oh, well, you know, he had a wonderful life. And I know he's in a good place. But it was a terrible shock. Yes. And so you could relate, presumably, even more to what your mother must have been through. Yeah. Yeah.

You know, because... Yeah. At least he's with my mother and father. And Pauline and, you know. Will you tell me the story of the father Christmas napkin? Oh, right. Oh, gosh. I'm sorry, I read it.

It was so beautiful. Yeah, I know. But my mother, she died of Alzheimer's bless her. And shortly before she... We don't have to talk about it. I'd be all right now. Okay. Shortly before she, you know, got really bad with Alzheimer's. She was at my house and it was near Christmas, I suppose,

because I had these placemats on the table that they had like a father Christmas on them and like a pocket where you put the napkin in. And it was very Christmas here, you know. and she folded it up into a all the way into like a little triangle. It was a linen place mat that you put over a placemat, you know. And she folded it up into like a little triangle. And she gave it to me my hand and she said, When I go, please, but this in my coffin, right?

I said, ma'am, don't talk like that. You know, no, I want you to put it in my coffin, she said, because I want to give Pauline something when I get there, she said, in there? Oh, God. Anyway, so she, I did it, along with us all, putting little things in coffee and, you know, photographs like us as you do, you know. but she wanted me to do that so I did it and I still got one you had a tear as well though I've still got one and in my house thank you

oh thank you I'm so sorry oh yes oh I had the best mother in the world though I know we all say we got the best mother but I did she was an angel in fact when I had my

my boat I had a 50-foot What to call it? Princess Boat And it was for my 50th birthday But just before my 50th My mother died So I said to Robert

Forget about the boat I don't want to Nothing After you mother, you know Yeah Nothing mattered And And anyway

I did the following year And my father was still alive then. He was alive for 18 months after my mother. So the boat was being built down in Plymouth. So before we took it over to Portugal, where we have a house there, we said, Daddy, come in and have a look at the boat, you know. And so we took him down to Plymouth. And he kissed the side of the boat, you know.

And we took him out. for a spin in it, you know. It had a fly bridge and everything, you know. It was a fabulous boat with three bedrooms and Daddy absolutely loved the boat. But I said to him, Dad, I want to name it after Mammy, but I don't want to call it Elsie, you know. Straight away, he said,

there was an angel in the harbour, you know. He pointed at the angel and he said, call it angel. He said, your mother was an angel. And so we called it Angel. Yeah. So I had that boat for about 21 years. We had wonderful times on them and all the family and everything, you know,

great holidays with friends and family. And I sold it last year because I found that I wasn't going out in it so much, you know. I cannot thank you enough for sharing that. Oh, I'd love everybody to know, actually. What a wonderful person. and my mother was on my father, you know? Yeah, I think you have paid great tribute to them with that. Thank you.

And what a testament you are to them too. She always brought us up, all of us, to believe in ourselves, you know. It's strange because she was such a gentle person, right? And, of course, with six children, or seven, mum, you would have said. Yeah, yeah. She was working so hard in the house, keeping the house clean, and washing and ironing in and we were terrible, mind.

We weren't any help at all. I can't... Looking back now, I think, God, you know, but the only thing I did do was like tidy my bedroom now and then, you know, and I can't remember ever learning to cook or anything like that,

you know? My mother was too busy doing it for us all, you know? She brought us all up to believe in ourselves, even though she was a housewife, you know, and she was doing it. everything, a housewife's job is so hard anyway, but she didn't have chance to do anything else, even if she wanted to.

But she had the most incredible opera voice. But she only did it in the house, you know. People used to stand outside of my house just to listen to my mother singing opera, you know. That's amazing. Yeah, fabulous. I mean, there was all kinds of music in my house because of all the generations, different generations, you know, there. My eldest sister was into like Frank Sinatra,

my brother Lynn love him. He loved Elvis Presley, Eddie Cochran and all that, you know. And then there was Angela, the Beatles, and, you know, all the 60s bands. And she gave me my first album, A Hard Day's Night. I know every single word of it, of the whole album. And I got to meet Paul McCarty in the end. Oh, wow, that was to be an amazing thing.

Anyway, but yeah, funny that my mother was gave us all so less to be confident and yet she was very, very low-key herself, you know. So you were all into music and you were all into singing. So why do you think you're the one who became... Fate, I think. Do you think it's fate? I really do think.

And not only that. I heard somebody saying the other day something and I thought, yeah, that's really good that is. Fate comes away, but be ready for it and bite its hand off. Yes. Yes. Oh, Bonnie, thank you so much for telling us about your family, your wonderful, wonderful family. So you had this innate talent for singing. You become a superstar and then we come on to your second failure. Now, this failure, I couldn't believe it. It's such a good one, again, because it goes to the heart of everything that we're talking about.

Simply the best. Oh, yeah. Which is actually called the best, which I didn't know until I read your failure. People misquote it all the time. So what happened with The Best? Well, in 1988, I was recording an album with Desmond Child in Woodstock. Actually, in Janice Joplin's old studio, right? Can we just pause?

That sentence. That sentence is one of the most iconic sentences, I think, has ever been uttered in this studio. Okay, carry on. Well, of course, Janice had died in 1969, but I was working in this studio that she used to work and that her and a manager owned. I was doing an album, a very budgeted album, you know, like after Total Clips of the Heart and Secret Dreams and Forbidden Fire

with the late great Jim Steinman, the record company had forked out fortunes for them, you know what I mean? But for this next album, Desmond was given a meager kind of budget to work for a whole album. They only paid him really enough for seven songs, but we ended up to, and I think it was, 14 or 15. And this song,

simply the best, I recorded then. And it was not played. You know, nobody played my version of it. And then two years later, Tina Turner released it. And it was a massive hit, you know.

I always do a tribute to Tina in my show, you know, because when I was young, I was always in my bedroom with, you know, playing, songs Tina Turner, Janice Joplin, Wilson Pickett, you know, big voices I loved, you know. I do a tribute to Tina and I do that song and I used to say I did it two years before Tina but it doesn't seem right to say that now because she's such a legend that she's she was such

an inspiration for all of us girls singers, you know, she was incredible, absolutely the best, that's simply the best. So I just say I'm going to do a tribute. I don't even say anymore now that I recorded it two years before, you know. And what do you think happened there? Why do you think it was successful when she sang it? Is that about subjectivity of taste? Is it about the time being right?

I think it was the time where they weren't playing certain people over an age. And yet they played Tina Turner. She's older than me, she was. But, you know, they didn't play my records anyway. And it turned out to be quite a successful album, actually. In fact, there are three or four songs on that album that I recorded before other artists. I did Save Up All Your Tears before Share did it. I did To Love Somebody, the old Bridget song.

I did that before Jimmy Sunwivel had a number one with it. And don't turn around. Aswad had a number one with it that Diane Warren wrote. I did that and nobody played my versions of it and simply the best. Yeah, but the album is, it's a great album and Desmond Child is an awesome producer as well, you know.

The Tina Turner thing is very interesting because hearing you talk about it, you're so supportive of other artists and particularly other women. Was there ever a point where you felt a bit resentful? Hang on a second, this was my song. No. No, it actually gave me my confidence

back in my choice of material because I thought, I was sure that was a good song. Then it went to number one for Tina Turner. I got a same way. My mother, bless her, she said. It's not fair seat. You did that song before Tina Turner

and they didn't play you as. But you never felt that. No, not really. You know, I mean, of course, I was disappointed. But, you know, I love Tina Turner. I was so lucky I met her a couple of times. What was she like? Fabulous.

She even asked for my autograph. She gave me her autograph. Of course, I asked her then when she asked me. And when I walked into the studio, this was before she was huge. After she left Ike and she was trying to get back. And it was before that big, what's love got to do with it, you know? And she was singing a song called The Black Widow. I'm sure it was called.

And she was on a TV show with me in Germany. And she saw me walking in because I'd heard Tina Turner was on the same show. So I wanted to see her rehearsal. So I walked into the studio to watch her. And she saw me coming in and she went, It's a honey, Bonnie Tyler.

Oh, my goodness. Yeah, I was chaffed. And another time then, I was doing the Terry Wogan chat show. And she, I don't mind, I'm telling. telling you too much now. Never, no such thing. No such thing. What happened with Terry Wogan?

Can you not tell me? Well, it was a change of clothes that we had to make because I came out of my dressing room and Tina came out of her dressing room and she went, uh-oh, one of us has got a change. And I said, well, I hope it's you because I haven't got any of the girls with me. Were you wearing the same thing? Very similar red leather minis. skirt and a red leather jacket and she had a red leather dress on. She looked absolutely amazing with them legs, you know what I mean?

But fair enough, she had things to change into. I didn't and she changed. Wow. But we both had black fishnet stockings as well, you know, and black shoes. It was really, really strange. Yeah, it's like you're connected twins. The music industry is famous or perhaps infamous for being quite unstable, demanding,

but you have had one great source of stability throughout your entire career, which is your husband, Robert. Yes. How long have you two been together? We were married for 50 years last year. Congratulations. 51 this July, yeah.

What do you think the secret is to a long-lasting life? When we travel together, I think, you know, when we're together all the time, it's a good thing. Now, you don't have children and neither do I. Yeah. And that's why I'm very passionate about asking women who don't have children, how they have navigated their life. Well, I left it too late, to be honest, to get pregnant.

Because when I did get pregnant, when I was 39, it didn't last very long, a couple of months, you know, and I had a miscarriage. Yeah. I didn't dwell on. it, though, you know, because what's to be, will be, you know. I always had a feeling, though, that it was a boy. I don't know why, but it's in my mind that I would have had a boy, you know.

Yeah, we had a miscarriage, but I've got so many nieces and nephews, and one of them lives with me and his partner, John. So Chris, Christopher and John, they'll be there now when I go home. I've got 16 nieces and nephews, and I see a lot of them, you know. we're a very close family and we've got another one on the way Chloe's pregnant now and she's due next week. Oh that's so lovely.

And so the strange thing is right me and Chloe we like clones you know she looks like me she, you know of course she's only in her 20s but when I was her age we were like twins you know what I mean very often I used to say to her

darling don't leave it too late now because she got married a couple of years ago. I don't leave it too late like I did, you know, because you may regret it, you know. I said, we left it a little bit too late and, you know, I had miscarriage when it's 39. And I think she must have taken it in

because she's got a baby girl come in and I'm hoping to see her next week. That's beautiful. Thank you so much for talking about that. I'm someone who doesn't have children and I've also had miscarriages. Have you had a couple of you? I've had three.

Oh, dear God. So I understand a little of what that is like. Yeah. And I also, although none of them was as late as your mother's, and actually even... Thank God. Thank God. Yeah.

Even the term miscarriage for what your mother went through is not appropriate. But I can understand a little of the grief, because really you're grieving in something that never happened. You're grieving in absence as well as a presence. And it's very powerful when women, like you share your stories. Well, what I did, I wrote all my feelings down in a book, right? Not in a book to sell.

Yes. In a journal. Something, you know, and I've put it at the back of the cupboard somewhere. I think that's so wise. Because actually you need it. Well, you will know that as a songwriter yourself. You need to put your feelings onto the page or somewhere so that they no longer eat you up from the inside.

Yeah. I think it helps to write it down, write down your feelings. Actually, I'm not a great songwriter. I'm very lucky that I work with incredible songwriters. I have written songs. And my brother is a rock singer, you know, in a band called Sunshine Carbancourt. And they work in like regularly every week still. And he's like, he's my little brother, right?

But he's 60. Anyway, I used to write some songs with him, you know, and I'm a couple of other people, but I've never had a hit with my own songs, you know what I mean? How do you feel being in your 70s? I mean, you look like you're in your 30s, but how does it feel? No, I don't look like I'm in them 30s. But I, you know, I did have a knee operation before Christmas. I had an old skiing injury, crack my meniscus bone,

and it gave me jip. All these years later, I had this when I was in my 30s. But I had to have an operation. But anyway, the surgeon said, it's going to take six weeks. I said, I haven't got six weeks. I got two weeks. I'll be on that plane in two weeks. Nonetheless I say so, he said, I was.

I feel yet you have a history of defying surgeons' advice. Yes. Your third and final failure, in your words, I'm not too good at getting rid of things. So are you a hoarder? No, my dress room at home and in Portugal is ram jammed, you know. I do have a clear out now and then and give it to my nieces, you know. But I'm due for another one now.

All the cabots are all full, all the wardrobes, and I got all around the whole huge room. And I've got rails everywhere. You know, I've got to wade through the rails, you know. But mostly I wear jackets and trousers and I don't hoard. I'm not a hoarder as you see these on the television, you know. And my kitchen cupboards. I think we've all got every gadget that's ever gone.

My latest is the air friar. Oh, are you one of those? But I actually like that. Yeah. They sound brilliant. And I have a thermostat. A thermomix. Thermomix.

My parents are obsessed with their thermomics. Oh, it's brilliant. We got one in Portugal, Anatolia. So the clothes, do you hold onto them because they are full of memories? Well, some of them I actually have got a big trunk in my attic from Bobby Wayne and the Dixie's days, right? Well, you would never believe the size that I used to be. I used to be probably what you would call a size six now. I'm a size 14 now and a 16 jacket.

I was always tiny, tiny, like Chloe is. Even now, she's only got the baby bump, you know. And Chloe, my niece, who's having a baby next week. I have a trunk with clothes from them days because it's like, it is memories, you know. And my hot pants, you know, they were about this big, you know. I'm doing this on a podcast. So what do you fear would happen if you let all of that go? Oh, I probably should.

It's ridiculous. I don't know when I even looked in that trunk last. It must be 20 years or something, you know. They're probably, I don't know, if they can get through a metal trunk. I don't know. It's probably mothed. I feel that there's something so beautiful about you, which is how rooted you are, how grounded you are,

in spite of all the incredible success and legendary status you've achieved. And maybe you understand. the profound importance of staying true to your past self. And maybe that's what it's about. I wonder, I am down to earth and everybody tells me, oh, a funny thing is, before I came here, there was two guys at the hotel, you know, and they walked in and they saw me and my husband.

And one of the young boys said to me, well, said to us, gosh, you look so well, you look like celebrities. So anyway, we were still waiting for our taxi to come, right? And we were waiting for a while. And he said, what do you do? And I said, actually, I only told him, you know, I said, I'm Bonnie Tyler. And he was a very young boy. He must have been about 21, something like that.

And his mate was same. He had his laptop with him. He Googled it straight away. And he said, my God, you got four million. people on what do you call it, you know. And yeah, I don't normally do that, you know, I don't say, well, actually I'm Bonnie Tyler. And he's, but what does your husband do? I said, well, he's an Olympian.

He went to the Olympics in 1972. Way before you were born. Judo champion, right? Judo. Yeah, he's a third down black belt, you know. That's extraordinary. Yeah. And the thing is, in them days, Olympians weren't paid anything.

You know, he had to work. And train. He had like no money. We got together and everything. And in the end, very successful. We had clubs and things, you know. And yeah. And very successful personally, too, as a unit. Yes. 50 years. So congratulations on that. Thank you. Oh, Bonnie Tyler. I can't tell you how much. I've loved this conversation. I would love to draw this part to a close. By asking. asking you what you think your parents would say to you. They must have been so proud of you. I think they'd say, my mother said to me, you know, keep the family like this, she said. Right? Yes. Keep the family like this.

And we are. You're so close. And I think she'd say, doing a great job of all of you sticking together, all of you being the family you are. You know? And it's because of my mother and my father, you know? You'll have me crying again now. I'm so sorry. I'm going to stop.

I'm going to stop now. But I'm so excited for you to meet your newest niece next week. I don't know what they're going to call her. I mean, Bonnie is a great name. Oh, and you know Chloe, right, who's having the baby? Her second name is Gaynor. Yeah, her sister named her after me, you know, my sister Avis, who's also a brilliant singer, by the way. but she sings for the church and charities and things, you know.

Lovely. Well, I think being an aunt is a beautiful role to inhabit. And I think I'm a good auntie. I can tell you're a good auntie. I want you to be mine, so we need to talk after this. But Bonnie Tyler, I cannot thank you enough for gracing me. I've really enjoyed it, Elizabeth. Thank you so much.

I've loved it. Thank you so much.