T

HEYwould’vecelebrated
a decadeofmarriagethis
month.Butinstead,days
shyofthemilestone,their
partnershipcame toa
shockingend.
FornineyearsLiraand
hermanager husband,
RobinKohl,seemedtoliveinperfecthar-

mony.Therecordlabelbosshelpedthe
velvet-voicedsingerproducehitafterhit,
proudlywatchedherperformforformer
AmericanpresidentBarackObamaand

wasfirmlyinhercornerwhenshewas
a judgeonTheVoiceSA.
Nowshe’smakingnewmemoriesasa

singlewoman.
Lira(40)announcedherseparation
from Robina fewdaysbeforewhat
would’vebeenthecouple’s10thanni-

versary.Shedoesn’twanttogointothe
detailsofwhatcausedthesplit,butshe’s
takingthingsinherstride.
“Igenerallytakewhatevercomesmy

wayandI flowwithit,”shetellsus.
“That’showI’mhandlingeverything
rightnow.I’vejustbeenremindedthat

lifeisn’talwaysbeautiful,andI’mem-
bracingit all.”
TheRiseAgainsingerhasalwaysbeen
guardedaboutherpersonallifebutshe’s

welcomingthewindofchange,shesays.
“I feelgoodaboutthechoicesI’vemade.
I’mveryproudofbeingbraveinallowing
thechangetohappentomylife.

“Nothinghappenstome,everything
happensforme,tomakemea better
person. It’s not easy, but having [toy mak-

er] Mattel honour me with my very own
Barbie doll has made the load so much

OUR VERY

OWN SHERO

Lira has been honoured with a Barbie doll

in her likeness. The singer talks about the end

of her marriage and staying true to herself

BY QHAMA DAYILE PICTURES: SHARON SERETLO

Barbie manufacturer

Mattel recently released

the Lira doll as part of its

Shero campaign.

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