Willie Nelson's ex-wife discovered his years-long affair after his mistress gave birth (original) (raw)
The country singer reveals that his wife Shirley Collie discovered he was cheating when she found a hospital bill from his longtime affair partner.
Published on December 22, 2023 01:55PM EST
Willie Nelson’s ex-wife discovered that he was having an affair in a surprising way.
The legendary country singer recently sat down for the four-episode Paramount+ documentary series Willie Nelson & Family, chronicling his family life and decades-long music career. In it, Nelson reveals that his ex-wife Shirley Collie discovered that he was having an affair when she found a hospital bill. The bill revealed the birth of a baby girl, born to a Mrs. Connie Nelson (a.k.a. Connie Koepke).
“Shirley wanted to know who the in the hell was Connie Nelson,” Nelson says in the series. “The truth is Connie had been my girlfriend for several years before becoming pregnant.”
Suzanne Cordeiro.
Suzanne Cordeiro/AFP/Getty
“She had no idea there was a Connie," added Lana Nelson, who’s the daughter of Nelson and his first wife Martha Matthews. "She had no idea there was a baby until she got the hospital bill. That’s how she found out about Connie. That’s how I found out about Connie!"
Nelson has eight children and has been married four times: He was wed to his teenage sweetheart Matthews from 1952 to 1962, before marrying singer Collie in 1963. The pair later divorced in 1971, and the same year, he married Koepke. Nelson and Koepke divorced in 1988, and he’s been married to current wife Annie D’Angelo since 1991.
In the documentary series, Nelson says he has some regrets about how he handled his past relationships.
"I’ve always said there’s no such thing as a former wife,” Nelson explains. “Once in your life, a wife never leaves. I regret the pain I caused Connie, and Martha and Shirley before her. I have no excuses. I’d be hard-pressed to define love. I know God’s love is pure, but worldly love is flawed love, and lots of times confused love. When it came to romance, I had a gift for complicating things."
Willie Nelson & Family is streaming now on Paramount+.
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