By Cynthia Abah
Celine Dion, the Canadian singer, has revealed that she kept her battle with Stiff Person Syndrome hidden for 17 years before disclosing it to the public.
During an interview with Hoda Kotb on the Today Show, Dion disclosed that she had been silently fighting the illness while managing her late husband, Rene Angelil’s, cancer battle and raising their children.
The 56-year-old singer, who first disclosed her diagnosis in 2022, admitted that she had been experiencing symptoms as far back 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 expressed.
“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.”
Dion explained that she eventually decided to open up about her illness because concealing it from “the people who got her to where she was” was a significant “burden”.
She recently described her experience with Stiff Person Syndrome as feeling like she’s “being strangled”, mentioning that she frequently experiences cramps and has even suffered from broken ribs.
