Bjorn Ulvaeus, a key member of ABBA, has finally opened up about the painful truth behind his divorce from Agnetha Fältskog, shedding light on a story that many fans have speculated about for decades.

Ulvaeus and Fältskog were once regarded as one of the most beautiful, talented, and famous couples in music.

Together, they played their respective roles of alluring singer and skilled songwriter and musician, bringing ABBA into the global spotlight.

Their relationship captivated fans worldwide, and people still romanticize the love they shared, dreaming of similar partnerships.

This made their eventual divorce a shock to the public, as it marked the end of one of the greatest musical partnerships in history.

The announcement of their separation left fans heartbroken, but for years, Ulvaeus kept silent about the reasons behind the breakup.

However, now at 67 years old, he has finally opened up about what led to the dissolution of his marriage with Agnetha, and the revelations are both surprising and painful.

The truth behind one of ABBA’s most iconic songs, *The Winner Takes It All*, has often been speculated.

In the summer of 1979, Ulvaeus and Fältskog began working on the song in a cottage on Viggo Island.

According to Fältskog, the idea for the song came from old musical pieces they had.

During this time, Ulvaeus had begun to drift away from Agnetha, and he was struggling to put his feelings into words.

The original demo of the song was titled “The Story of My Life,” and it reflected the pain and conflicting emotions Ulvaeus was going through.

He recorded the first arrangement of the song with a steady pace, but they found it too stiff and metrical, so they abandoned it for a few days.

When they returned to the song, Fältskog suggested a French chanson style arrangement, which helped to capture the open-hearted feeling Ulvaeus was trying to portray.

Ulvaeus then recorded a tape with gibberish French phrases for the lyrics, and later wrote the actual lyrics while drinking whiskey.

He admitted that he was almost always drunk while writing the song, and it only took him one hour to write the main lyrics in a rush of emotion.

The song was about to be the soundtrack to their divorce, but despite the mutual agreement between both of them that it was for the best, the situation still affected them both deeply.

When Ulvaeus handed Agnetha the paper containing the song’s lyrics, she began to cry because the words had such a profound effect on her.

At first, Ulvaeus denied that the song was about his divorce, claiming that while the song was based on the experience of a divorce, it was actually fiction.

He explained that there was no clear winner or loser in their separation.

Many people still believe, however, that the song reflects the truth of their relationship, particularly because of the pain in Agnetha’s voice when she performed it on stage.

The decision to have Agnetha sing such a painful song about their split was influenced by the complicated and emotionally painful relationship they had.

The cracks had been appearing for a long time before the divorce became inevitable.

From the start of their marriage, there were red flags.

Although everything seemed perfect from the outside, both Agnetha and Ulvaeus were driven by their careers to the point that their personal relationship, including their children, became secondary.

They married young, driven by passion, and at first, their small differences seemed minor.

But as their relationship progressed, these differences became more significant.

According to Ulvaeus, Agnetha was incredibly possessive and fearful for him, always worried that something bad would happen to her family.

She feared that he would cheat or that they would lose everything they loved.

She also had a tendency to worry excessively about things that might happen, like a plane crash during a tour, leaving their children orphaned.

Her constant anxiety affected her mental health, leading her to experience night terrors and a growing sense of fear and insecurity.

This behavior made her clingier, but Ulvaeus became cold and more controlling, which only pushed Agnetha away.

As hinted in *The Winner Takes It All*, the breakdown of their relationship seemed inevitable.

Ulvaeus began seeking love and satisfaction outside of the marriage, as he couldn’t get what he needed from his relationship anymore.

Agnetha became angry and jealous, eventually realizing that they didn’t belong together.

The final blow came when ABBA’s popularity began to decline, affecting both their personal and professional lives.

Ulvaeus decided it was time to part ways, and Agnetha agreed, though they both were sentimental about the good times they had shared.

For Ulvaeus, his decision seemed to have been the right one, as things didn’t get better for Agnetha after the divorce.

She struggled with the pressures of fame and single motherhood, and her mental health deteriorated.

In the years following the divorce, Agnetha jumped from one relationship to the next, including affairs with an ice hockey star, a fashion designer, and shockingly, even her psychiatrist.

She also married and divorced surgeon Thomas Sonnenfeld.

Her emotional turmoil deepened when she witnessed her mother’s suicide and then lost her father just a year later.

She suffered in silence, refusing to seek help or confide in anyone.

In contrast, Ulvaeus found it easier to move on.

He continued working professionally with ABBA’s Benny Andersson, writing, singing, and composing songs.

He also found love again, marrying Lena Kershaw, with whom he had a 41-year-long marriage.

Ulvaeus appeared much healthier, both physically and mentally, compared to Agnetha, and perhaps he would not have been able to progress as he did if he had stayed with her.

Divorce is painful, and there are always multiple aspects to it, but it’s clear that one person in this separation suffered more than the other.

Ulvaeus may have said that there was no winner or loser, but it seems clear who benefited from the separation.

While one has found a partner and stability, the other continues to battle mental health issues, putting on a brave face but still feeling the weight of the past.

Who do you think was the real winner in this relationship?