Canadian singer Celine Dion has recently disclosed that she concealed her battle with Stiff Person Syndrome for 17 years before going public with it.
In an interview with Hoda Kotb on the Today Show, Dion shared that she struggled with the illness while also supporting her late husband through his cancer battle and raising their children.
“We did not know what was going on [with me]. I did not take the time… I should have stopped, took the time to figure it out,” she said.
“And like it wasn’t enough, my husband as well is fighting for his own life.
“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 own dreams.”
The 56-year-old singer initially experienced symptoms in 2008 but only spoke out about her diagnosis in 2022.
Celine Dion admitted that she decided to reveal her illness because she felt burdened by keeping it a secret from those who had supported her career.
Describing Stiff Person Syndrome as feeling like being “strangled”, Dion mentioned that she often suffers from cramps and has even broken ribs.
