Thaindian News

Melbourne , July 15 (ANI): After a self-imposed exile, ABBA’’s ultimate sex symbol Agnetha Flatskog finally made a public appearance with her other band members but refused to be clicked with them.

Living in one of Stockholm ‘’s rural outlying islands for some years now, the 58-year-old star attended the Swedish film premiere of Mamma Mia!.

The event was the first time in 21 years since the Abba foursome were seen together in public.

While she did link arms with former band member Anni-Frid and the film’’s leading lady Meryl Streep, she did not pose with her other bandmates, Benny Andersson or Bjorn Ulvaeus - who also happens to be her former husband.

She refused to do the picture which everyone wanted, which was the four of them together, The Daily Telegraph quoted a source, as saying.

They do not socialise with each other. They just happened to come to the same premiere. It was nothing they organised themselves, said Steffan Linde, Agnetha’’s spokesman.

Today, Agnetha hates to acknowledge her part in pop history and is known as ”Garbo the second” in Sweden . Being reclusive in nature, she said that this nickname actually infuriates her.

They spread that I am hiding, that I am the new Greta Garbo. It’’s not the way it is. I just want to live in peace and quiet, she said.

The past 25 years have been difficult for Agnetha. She was emotionally shattered by the split with Bjorn in 1979. They divorced after having two children, at a time when the band was at the peak of its fame. While Bjorn had a new girlfriend within a week, Agnetha opted for counselling.

It was when ABBA’’s great, deeply bitter song The Winner Takes It All was written and she had to find the emotional strength to sing: ”Tell me does she kiss/Like I used to kiss you?”

While the band did try to return to the studio in 1982, they realised that, with both couples now divorced (Benny and Anni-Frid split in 1981), it was no longer any fun being Abba.

Now, Agnetha admits that she found the closing years miserable. Terrified of flying, after being caught in a storm on a private jet, she hasn”t taken a flight in more than 20 years till date and is terrified when she knows her family are flying.

In fact, she also found the Abba fans alarming and would have terrible daydreams in which they set upon her and consumed her alive.

Above all, she is plagued by guilt at being away from her children, Linda and Christian, when they were so young. (ANI)