Celine Dion got all emotional as she disclosed that she secretly battled stiff person syndrome for 17 years before revealing it to the public, admitting that ‘lying’ to her fans was ‘too much’ of a burden for her to bear.
The 56, year-old revealed that she had been diagnosed with the rare autoimmune neurological disorder in 2022, but now, she has shared that she had been struggling with the terrible condition in secrecy for nearly two decades before she told the world about it.
In a preview for an upcoming sit-down with Today Show host Hoda Kotb, the singer gave a full detail of the pain of having to hide the disorder from her supporters
She narrated keeping it from ‘the people who got her to where she was’ as a huge ‘burden,’ explaining that it felt like she had to act like a ‘hero’ while secretly feeling like her ‘body was leaving her.’
In a teaser for the upcoming chat, which will air in full on Tuesday at 10 pm ET on NBC, Celine explained that when she first started to realize something was wrong, she didn’t ‘take the time’ to figure out what was going on.
She remembered struggling while her husband, René Angélil, battled his slew of health woes; he passed away from throat cancer in 2016.
‘We did not know what was going on [with me],’ she said. ‘I did not take the time… I should have stopped, and taken the time to figure it out.
‘And like it wasn’t enough, my husband as well is fighting for his own life.’
After his demise, the singer said she had a hard time raising her kids, René-Charles, 23, and twins Nelson and Eddy, 13, with her career – all while keeping her degenerating health a secret from the public.
‘I had to raise my kids, I had to hide, I had to try to be a hero – while feeling my body leaving me,’ she continued. ‘[I was] holding on to my dreams.’
But she said ‘lying’ eventually became ‘too much,’ adding, ‘Lying for me was… The burden was too much. Lying to the people who got me to where I am today, I could not do it anymore.’
‘Not telling the truth was too much to carry,’ host Hoda said, to which Celine replied, ‘I could not do this anymore.’
The artist also described what it is like to sing with the condition, and she said it feels like ”somebody is strangling her”
‘If I point my feet, they will stay [stuck in that position], or if I cook – because I love to cook – my fingers, my hands, will get in a position.
‘My feet – it’s [like] cramping, but it’s like [they get] in a position and you cannot unlock them.
The singer stated that the condition has resulted in her ‘breaking ribs.’
‘I have broken ribs at one point because sometimes when it’s very severe, it can break some ribs as well,’ she shared.
Even so, Celine revealed back in March she still had hopes to get back on stage in an Instagram post in honor of International Stiff Person Syndrome Awareness Day.
‘Trying to overcome this autoimmune disorder has been one of the hardest experiences of my life, but I remain determined to one day get back onto the stage and to live as normal of a life as possible,’ she wrote.
‘I am deeply grateful for the love and support from my kids, family, team, and all of you.
‘I want to send my encouragement and support to all those around the world that have been affected by SPS. I want you to know you can do it. We can do it.’
She also disclosed that she is undergoing ‘athletic, physical, and vocal therapy’ five days a week to fight the symptoms.
The artist is currently equipping up to release a tell-all documentary that will offer a heartbreaking peek inside her health battle, entitled I Am: Celine Dion.
