Canadian singer Celine Dion has disclosed that she kept her struggle with Stiff Person Syndrome hidden for 17 years before going public with her diagnosis. In an interview with Hoda Kotb on the Today Show, Dion shared how she managed the illness while supporting her late husband, Rene Angelil, through his cancer battle and raising their children.
Dion, 56, first revealed her diagnosis in 2022 but admitted that her symptoms began as early as 2008. “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 confessed. “And like it wasn’t enough, my husband as well is fighting for his own life.”
Reflecting on the challenges, Dion added, “I had to raise my kids, I had to hide, I had to try to be a hero – while feeling my body leaving me. [I was] holding on to my own dreams.”
The ‘Think Twice’ singer explained that she eventually decided to reveal her illness because keeping it from her fans, “the people who got her to where she was,” became a significant “burden.”
Describing her condition, Dion recently stated that her Stiff Person Syndrome often feels like she’s “being strangled” and that she frequently suffers from cramps, even breaking some ribs due to the intense muscle spasms.
