Years before she was diagnosed with Stiff-Person Syndrome, Céline Dion revealed she had dealt with the symptoms of the disease years before the diagnosis.
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During a recent interview with Harper’s Bazaar, the music icon reflected on her health, noting she had suffered symptoms of Stiff-Person Syndrome for nearly 20 years before being diagnosed in 2022.
She revealed that such symptoms caused her to struggle with walking, resulting in her relying on high doses of Valium “simply to function.”
“It is a progressive condition,” Dion said about Stiff-Person Syndrome. “I don’t like to say ‘disease.'”
The symptoms intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic, resulting in her withdrawing from the public eye.
“I’m honest, and it’s not always pretty,” she said. “Sometimes it’s happy things. Sometimes it’s sad things, but it’s called life.”
Dion Went Public About Her Diagnosis in 2022
Dion publicly announced her diagnosis in late 2022.
“While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what has been causing all of the spasms I’ve been having,” she said at the time. “Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life, sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to.”
While appearing on Today in 2024, Dion spoke about what it felt like to sing while battling the condition. “It’s like somebody is strangling you,” she explained. “It’s like somebody is pushing your larynx/pharynx this way.”
She further noted, “It was like talking like that, and you cannot go high or lower. It gets into a spasm.”
Dion then said that she feels muscle spasms and stiffness throughout her body.
“It can also be in the abdominal, can be in the spine, can be in the ribs,” she pointed out. “But it feels like if I point my feet, they will stay in a (stuck position), or if I cook — because I love to cook — my fingers, my hands, will get in a position. My feet — it’s cramping, but it’s like in a position of you cannot unlock them.”
Following years of physical therapy and procedures, Dion announced her Paris residency.
“This year, I’m getting the best birthday gift of my life. I’m getting the chance to see you, to perform for you,” she said. “It’s been so long, I would like to offer them something to show how I’ve missed them.”