Tina Turner: ‘I always had a crush on Mick Jagger. I loved touring with the Rolling Stones’

Born in Tennessee, Tina Turner, 83, started performing with Ike Turner’s band Kings of Rhythm as a teenager. She had two sons, one with Ike whom she married in 1962. As a duo, Ike and Tina’s hits included Proud Mary and Nutbush City Limits. In 1984, Turner released her multi-platinum solo album Private Dancer; her single What’s Love Got to Do With It topped the charts and won three Grammys. In 2018, she received a Grammy lifetime achievement award. This month is the fifth anniversary of Tina: The Tina Turner Musical is now booking to spring 2024 at the Aldwych theatre, London. Turner lives in Switzerland with her second husband, Erwin Bach.

What is your greatest fear?
I never want to go back; I fought so much through my life, that I have to keep going forward.

What is your earliest memory?
Playing on my favourite tree. I was a tomboy and I’d always be tearing my clothes, messing up my hair.

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?
I don’t deplore anything about myself, but I am a perfectionist.

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
Too many times I had people try and make decisions for me. The assumption that I needed that was a big mistake!

Describe yourself in three words
Honest, feisty, fun.

What would your superpower be?
Maybe all those solo concerts I did in 6in heels!

What makes you unhappy?
I have lost people close to me, too soon.

What do you most dislike about your appearance?
Nothing. Women are forced to look far too closely and be critical of their appearance. Men don’t.

Who would play you in the film of your life?
Angela Bassett has already done that. Plus I have a team of “my Tinas” playing me in our musical.

What is your most unappealing habit?
Watching horror movies back to back.

What scares you about getting older?
Nothing. This is life’s full adventure and I embrace and accept every day with what it brings.

Who is your celebrity crush?
I always had a crush on Mick Jagger. I loved when we toured with the Rolling Stones.

Would you choose fame or anonymity?
I wanted fame and I achieved it. Now, I enjoy anonymity in my retirement.

What does love feel like?
Like a dryer going off in your stomach.

Have you ever said ‘I love you’ and not meant it?
Not unless I was scared for mine or my children’s lives.

If not yourself, who would you most like to be?
Oprah.

When’s the last time you changed your mind about something significant?
When I first met my producers, I told them I didn’t want a musical to be made. I changed my mind – and that was definitely the right decision!

Would you rather have more sex, money or fame?
At my age, is there another option?

How would you like to be remembered?
As the Queen of Rock’n’Roll. As a woman who showed other women that it is OK to strive for success on their own terms.

Tell us a secret
I love McDonald’s. After the first preview of my musical in London, I made Erwin take a detour on the way back to our hotel.