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Shania Twain has revealed the surprisingly simple, and rather unconventional, ritual that kick-starts her mornings, and it all begins before she's even changed out of her pyjamas.
The country music superstar, who turns 61 next month, has admitted she heads straight outside after waking up to spend time with her horses, often riding them while still dressed for bed. "I just love being with them," the Canadian singer told CBS News.
"I ride in my pyjamas in the mornings. It's just a great escape." An avid equestrian, Shania's love of horses runs so deep that she occasionally takes them on tour with her, although she admitted it requires a lot of planning behind the scenes.
The singer currently lives in Switzerland with her husband, Frédéric Thiébaud, whom she married in 2011, and says reaching her 60s has been her happiest chapter yet.
Embracing her 60s
Rather than fearing ageing, the Man! I Feel Like a Woman! hitmaker believes life has only improved with time.
"I started life out a little bit on the tough side," she said. "In my 60s now, I feel like I've really gotten it or I'm just now getting all of that right."
She added: "You know what it is? It's called time. I'd love to have been able to get it right in my 50s, but that wasn't enough time. "I needed to be in my 60s to start getting it right, you know? And that's fine."
The Grammy-winning star is also thinking well beyond retirement. "I plan to live to be 200 anyway! I better live to be 200, to get everything in that I want to get in."
Her unusual beauty secrets
Shania has never been shy about sharing the beauty routines she credits for keeping her skin looking youthful.
Last year, she revealed that instead of using a traditional makeup remover, she relies on a homemade blend of olive oil and sugar.
"Anything oil-based does break down the makeup and flushes the pores out," she explained in a skincare video for Harper's Bazaar.
"So I don't use makeup remover per se. I really just combine the olive oil and the sugar. And I don't rub it in hard."
After cleansing, she applies an anti-ageing serum to areas where she's beginning to notice fine lines before finishing with a nourishing night cream.
The singer also revealed that menopause has brought one unexpected benefit.
She said her skin is no longer flaky or prone to breakouts and is now more of a combination skin type with a classic oily T-zone.
Reflecting on a difficult childhood
Shania's candid interview comes ahead of the release of her new album, Little Miss Twain, which arrives on 24 July and explores some of the most painful chapters of her life.
The singer recalled growing up in poverty while caring for her family, revealing her mother struggled with depression.
"She spent a lot of her days in bed," Shania said. "She lived off coffee and cigarettes that I would bring her in bed just to see if she was still alive."
"There was a lot of violence in the house. And we didn't eat well a lot of the time. We weren't clothed properly a lot of the time."
Her life changed forever when both of her parents died in a car crash when she was just 22, leaving her to become guardian to her younger siblings.
Looking back now, however, the star says she feels a deep sense of pride. "When I reflect back on those times, I'm reflecting on them from where I am now, which is a very good place.
"Like, I made it out of there. It's like, 'Whoa, I'm just celebrating all of that.'
"And what makes me feel so accomplished is staying connected to where I came from. It's the contrast that makes it feel so good."
