Legendary singer-songwriter”Queen of Power Ballads” Celine Dion has shared her struggle with a rare condition called ‘Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS)’. In an exclusive interview with Hoda Kotb on Today, she opened up about her diagnosis.
SPS causes stiffness in the body and limbs, along with painful spasms, which have prevented her from performing for several years. Although she was diagnosed in 2022, she began experiencing symptoms during her ‘Taking Chances World Tour’ in 2008. However, she didn’t stop performing then due to her husband’s battle with throat cancer and her responsibilities as a mother.
Celine Dion Shared Her Health Challenges And Personal Life In Detail
Celine Dion revealed that she had kept her condition secret because she was still trying to understand it and cope with her health. As the condition progressed, she found it increasingly difficult to hide the truth.
She described the burden of lying to her fans as too much to bear. “I could not do this anymore,” she said. “Lying for me, the burden was too much. Lying to the people who got me where I am today, I could not do it anymore.”
“I barely could walk at one point, and I was missing very much living,” the 56-year-old singer told People ahead of the June 25 release of her Prime Video documentary“I Am: Céline Dion.” “My kids started to notice. I was like, ‘OK, they already lost a parent. I don’t want them to be scared.’ “I let them know, ‘You lost your dad, [but] mom has a condition and it’s different.
She further added. “I’m not going to die. It’s something that I’m going to learn to live with,’”
Despite her health challenges, she is optimistic about the present, she said, “I am Céline Dion, because today my voice will be heard for the first time, not just because I have to, or because I need to. It’s because I want to and I miss it.”
Celine Dion has started to return to the spotlight. A Prime video documentary about her life, “I Am: Celine Dion,” is set to premiere on June 25. She now hopes to raise awareness about SPS and inspire others facing similar struggles.
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