Bonnie Tyler - South Africa // Afrique du Sud - Interview - 2013

Red Bull and a shot of Jack Daniel’s for Bonnie Tyler’s nerves

By Biénne Huisman

Songbird Bonnie Tyler will quaff Red Bull and a shot of Jack Daniel’s before hitting stages in Cape Town this weekend.

The 61-year-old Welsh pop star – known for her gravelly voice and chart toppers like Total Eclipse of the Heart and Holding Out For A Hero – said she was having a blast touring South Africa with her husband of 40 years, property investor Robert Sullivan.

They have passed through Johannesburg and Bloemfontein, and this week, between rehearsals and media interviews, they tucked into tempura prawns in Cape Town and sipped wine near Franschhoek.

City Press spoke to Tyler at The Bay Hotel in Camps Bay yesterday.

“Thank God I don’t have any interviews tomorrow,” gushed the singer. “I really look forward to tasting some red wines, relaxing and having a few drinks, you know.”

She was immaculately turned out with signature big blonde hair, fake eyelashes and fingers tipped in glittering coral varnish. One of five siblings born to a coal miner and church-choir singer in the village of Skewen, Tyler is known to be down to earth with a penchant for “nice knickers”.

Her husband waited in their penthouse suite upstairs during the interview.

He is related to Welsh movie star Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Tyler sang at the actress’ wedding to Michael Douglas in New York in 2000.

News that Zeta-Jones and Douglas may be splitting after 13 years of marriage sent ripples through the tabloids last week. Publicists for the pair released a statement saying: “Catherine and Michael are taking some time apart to evaluate and work on their marriage,” wrote the Daily Mail.

This week Tyler said: “Are they splitting? Well that’s sad isn’t it? I really don’t know what’s going on there.”

The singer likes to prime her nerves with a tin of Red Bull and a “tiny” shot of Jack Daniel’s before performances, she said. She steers clear of chocolate and cheese before shows.

Tyler represented the UK in the Eurovision Song Contest earlier this year. Her latest album, called Rocks And Honey – featuring her Eurovision single Believe In Me – was released in May.

“Honest to God! This is the best album I’ve ever made,” she said.

Tyler will perform at the Cape Town International Convention Centre on Friday and Saturday evening.

Photo: Yolanda van der Stoep/Foto24

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