Why did Bonnie Tyler not have children? Singer once opened up about the reason behind not having any kids

Legendary Welsh singer-songwriter Bonnie Tyler, best known for the song Total Eclipse of the Heart, died in Faro, Portugal, on July 8. She was 75. The death was announced via her Facebook page:

“Bonnie's family and team are heartbroken to announce that Bonnie unexpectedly passed away last night in hospital in Portugal as a result of the illness that she was being treated for. We will issue a further statement shortly, but for now ask for privacy to deal with this tragedy.”

Bonnie Tyler is survived by her husband of 52 years, Robert Sullivan. They never had any children. She once told the BBC in an interview why she didn’t become a mother:

“I did have a miscarriage when I was 40; I left it too late, you know? I wish I had started earlier, but my career took over and it was always, 'next year, next year. And then next year didn't come until I was 39.”

Robert Sullivan was a judoka who represented Great Britain in the 1972 Munich Summer Olympics and won silver at the European Team Championships in the Netherlands that same year. He later became a real estate agent turned property developer.

Here’s exploring the reason behind Bonnie Tyler’s childfree life

In the previously mentioned BBC interview, Bonnie Tyler shared that she “absolutely adore children” and was not among the people who board an aeroplane and “avoid children like the plague.”

“Not me. I'm like, 'can I sit here'?” the singer stated.

Following her miscarriage, she threw herself into work.

“We did try for another couple of years, but... we're fine, we're happy,” she added.

Later, Bonnie Tyler sat down with The Times in January 2025 and spoke about her husband and why they chose not to have children.

“I think the secret to our success is that we met before I was famous. We don't have children because we left it too late to stop taking precautions, and then I had a miscarriage when I was 40. I was unlucky, but I love all my nieces and nephews. Our house in Mumbles is like Paddington Station because everyone wants to come and visit Auntie Gaynor.”

For those unaware, Bonnie Tyler’s real name was Gaynor Hopkins Sullivan.

Last May, the It’s A Heartache hitmaker also told Mirror that she was 39 when she first got pregnant but eventually lost the baby.

“For the first time, I felt maternal and we stopped all precautions, and it happened straight away… I'm not the type to dwell on things. The following weekend I was in Paris for a TV show, then I just moved on… It's weird, but I count myself blessed to have known that I could be pregnant, that I have been pregnant,” she said of her miscarriage.

What made it easy for Bonnie to survive without a child of her own was having a successful marriage since July 1973.

“He's marvellous. He's at the side of the stage singing every word. I am still very much in love with him and he with me. We never fall out. He is very easy on the eye, which helps.”

It is noteworthy that in 2016, a woman named Meghann Pernot claimed online to have had an 18-month-long affair with Robert Sullivan, telling Mirror she felt “guilty” and should have “said no and stopped it in the beginning.” Neither Bonnie Tyler nor her husband ever addressed the cheating rumor.

Bonnie Tyler spoke to The Guardian in 2012 in further detail about her missed chance at motherhood.

“[It was] bloody awful at the time… We just thought it wasn't meant to be. I have a large family anyway. I have five godchildren, 16 nieces and nephews, and 12 great nieces and nephews, so there is no shortage of children in my life.”

About why she didn’t try it sooner, the Grammy-nominated artist explained:

“My career was massive. We put it off and put it off until I was 39 and he was 41…”

According to The Guardian, Bonnie Tyler underwent emergency intestinal surgery in May, following which she was put into an induced coma to help with recovery. A couple of attempts to bring Bonnie Tyler out of the coma led to cardiac arrests, following which she was resuscitated.

On June 15, it was announced via Facebook that she was out of the coma but remained “very unwell.”

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“We are pleased to share that Bonnie is no longer in a coma, but remains very unwell and in intensive care in hospital in Portugal. We would like to thank everyone for the huge outpouring of love and support from all over the world that we have received for Bonnie and want to tell you that she is aware of, and very grateful for, your good wishes.”

As tributes pour in across social media, Robert Sullivan has yet to publicly address his wife’s passing.

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