Vladimir Putin 'had his face to his feet' during Bonnie Tyler's performance in the Kremlin

Welsh singer Bonnie Tyler has revealed that Russian president Vladimir Putin had his "face down to his feet" when she performed in the Kremlin. The Total Eclipse Of The Heart singer said she had visited Russia "many times" before and revealed that Putin was in the front row during one of her performances.

The 72-year-old toured the country before the breakup of the Soviet Union as well, and said it was "very strange". Speaking to Elizabeth Day on the How To Fail podcast, she said: "I think I was the first western girl to perform there.

"And it was very, very strange, but beautiful in a way as well, because I had my own band, obviously," reports the Express . "I had my crew, and we had a Polish crew there as well.

• Vladimir Putin parades captured US tanks and British armored vehicles from Ukraine war
• Terrifying map shows how nuclear strike would wipe out US cities amid WW3 fears

"And we took our own catering, thank God, because in them days, you had to queue for anything. We had, I believe it was the KGB taking care of us. It was a bit strange, because there'd be a lady on every floor of the hotels we stayed.

"It was a normal thing in Russia then. But they watch everything, they write everything down, whoever goes into a room, it's all written down. But the audiences were loving it because they'd never had this before.

"The strange thing is, the first 20 rows, or something like that, was all soldiers and police. The audience had to be very well-behaved. I mean, when you go to a concert, you want to go 'Yeah! ' ... In 1988 there was none of that then."

She remarked: "I've been to Russia so many times. I've sang in the Kremlin three times." When questioned about who she had performed for in the Kremlin, Tyler disclosed: "Putin ... He was in the front row at one time. "He had his face down to his feet", she continued.

The vocalist expressed her belief that the event was some sort of charity concert. She further added: "Obviously, that's not gonna happen anymore which is a great shame because it (Russia) had turned completely different to the first time I went there and then when I went back, I couldn't believe it, designer stores everywhere."

The artist also shared that she had brought her sunbed to Russia and mentioned that her skin was now "paying" for it. Tyler, whose birth name is Gaynor Sullivan, has enjoyed a successful career with hits like Holding Out For A Hero and It's A Heartache.

For her contributions to music, the singer was honored with an MBE in the 2022 Queen's Birthday Honours list. How To Fail With Elizabeth Day can be accessed on all major podcast platforms.

For the latest local news and features on Irish America, visit our homepage here .