Nenad Knežević Knez says he divorced because his wife refused to work or cook

Singer Nenad Knežević Knez, 56, has opened up about why his marriage to Nina Vukmanović ended after 17 years. The couple had two daughters, Ksenija and Andrea, and Knežević says the split followed years of growing disagreements.

How a reality show crystallized his decision

“My then-wife and I had disagreements long before the separation. One of the problems was that she had no interest; she was focused only on our children. I wanted to employ her, not for the money, but so that she would do something with her life, but she didn't want to. I even opened a boutique, but her philosophy in life was not to work. She didn't even want to cook at home, so I had to do that too,” Knežević said.

He describes the divorce as one of the hardest choices of his life. After long reflection, in 2010 he accepted an invitation to take part in the third season of the reality show Prezhivean and spent a month in the Philippines to think things over.

“Thanks to my adventurous spirit I accepted the offer to compete in the third season of 'Prezhivean' with celebrities. The nature and the silence on the island reset me and helped me think about my life. My brain returned to factory settings. Then I decided that I would definitely get divorced. It may sound incredible, but 32 days fighting for survival in the jungle helped me realize that separation was the only solution for me.”

When he returned from the Philippines, Knežević says he went to Nina, brought divorce papers and left their apartment. “Although I wanted to break up, I found it hard to bear all of it. It was incredibly stressful for me. I was especially afraid for our daughters who were not small, but they felt bad that their parents were divorcing. Because of them I went through many things with Nina so they wouldn't feel anything. In the end it turned out the way it should have,” he added.

After the separation from Nina in 2012, Knežević began a relationship with Tatjana Tot. “We didn't marry because that piece of paper means nothing to us. We function very well this way,” he said. He met Tatjana during a performance in Paris, where she had been living and working; her nickname Tina inspired his song “Tina bambina.” Knežević says they knew each other 25 years before living together, and they have shared a home for 11 years.

Before fame, he lived freely in Podgorica, spent his childhood in Cetinje, and grew up in a musical family — a background that led him to follow his grandfather's and father's footsteps into music.

Photo: press material from the event