Celine Dion has shown the world what happens when she attempts to sing, breaking down into tears.
The singer was diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome in 2022, causing her to reschedule and cancel planned tours. The disorder primarily affects the brain and spinal cord and causes muscle stiffness, posture problems and sensory issues, as well as painful spasms.
Now in a snippet of her new documentary I Am: Celine Dion, which will arrive to Prime Video on Tuesday 25 June, Dion has revealed what it’s like to live with the incurable syndrome, telling documentarians she first noticed the symptoms whilst having breakfast one morning.
“Seventeen years ago I started to experience some voice spasming, this is the way it started,” she said. “I woke up one morning and I had my breakfast, and after having my breakfast, my voice started to go up.
“It freaked me out a little bit, because normally when you’re tired as a singer because you did a show the night before, your voice would go roughly half a key down or one note down.” Upon receiving her diagnosis on the day of filming, Dion continued: “I was scared, I didn’t know what to do.
“It’s in the muscle, it’s in the tendons, it’s in the nerves. You can’t see anything, because it’s not seeable.” She went on to describe how she “couldn’t walk” and was in “a lot of pain”, adding: “I can’t use my voice yet.” Dion started to cry, and said: “Music… I miss it a lot. But also, the people. I miss them.”
Dion also detailed how the syndrome prevented her from singing, explaining: “When I try to breathe, my lungs are fine; it’s what is in front of my lungs that’s so rigid, because of Stiff Person Syndrome.” She then demonstrated what happened when she tried to sing, where her voice began to crack.
She then said whilst crying: “That’s what happens and it’s very difficult for me to show this to you. I think I was very good… I think I had some stuff that was amazing.”
Previously, Dion has shared that living with the syndrome has caused her muscle spasms that have broken her ribs.
In an interview to NBC News, the singer told interviewer Hoda Kotb: “I had broken ribs at one point, because sometimes when it’s very severe…”
Kotb then asked: “It can spasm so hard it can break a rib?”, to which Dion nodded.
Dion also said that her stiff person syndrome diagnosis was “one of the hardest experiences” of her life in a post on Instagram, adding that she was trying to “live as normal of a life as possible”.
“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.”
Dion’s last public appearance was at the 2024 Grammys, where she presented the Album of the Year award to Taylor Swift.
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