Celine Dion provided an emotional update about her battle with stiff-person-syndrome, explaining what it feels like to live with the condition.
The 56-year-old Grammy winner spoke candidly with Hoda Kotb during an NBC News Exclusive clip that aired June 7 and admitted that the debilitating muscle spasms associated with this disease caused her to suffer from broken bones.
“It’s like somebody is strangling you,” Dion told Kotb in a preview clip of the upcoming show airing June 7. “It’s like somebody is pushing your larynx/pharynx,” she said, as she demonstrated the high-pitched voice that resulted from the pressure.
EXCLUSIVE: In an interview with TODAY’s Hoda Kotb, Céline Dion is shedding light on her health and how seriously her stiff person syndrome has affected her ability to sing.
Céline Dion’s full conversation with Hoda will air on June 11 on @NBC. pic.twitter.com/kvsVX8ZjDt
— TODAY (@TODAYshow) June 7, 2024
Dion expressed this led to her inability to hit certain notes to properly sing and perform on stage.
She described the crippling effects she now faces on a daily basis.
“It gets into a spasm,” Dion told Kotb.
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DUESSELDORF, GERMANY – NOVEMBER 22: Celine Dion performs during ‘BAMBI Awards 2012’ at the Stadthalle Duesseldorf on November 22, 2012 in Duesseldorf, Germany. (Photo by Andreas Rentz/Getty Images)
“It started [in the throat]. [And I thought], ‘No, okay, it’s gonna be fine.’ But it can also be the abdominal, can be in the spine, can be in the ribs,” she noted.
The famous singer said the stiffness made her muscles clench to the point where they could become locked, and she is unable to straighten them or adjust them in any way.
“It feels like, if I point my feet, they will stay,” she said.
Dion fought back the tears when she spoke about her passions, including singing and cooking.
NEW YORK, NEW YORK – MARCH 07: Celine Dion is seen on March 07, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Gotham/GC Images)Getty Images
“Or, if I cook — because I love to cook — my fingers, my hands, will get in position …” she said, ‘It’s cramping, but it’s like in a position where you cannot unlock them.”
She then told fans she suffered a serious injury because of the intensity of her spasms. (RELATED: ‘Egg In The Middle Of My Forehead’: Celine Dion Reveals Wedding-Day Injury)
“I had broken ribs at one point because sometimes when it’s very severe, it can break,” she said.
Kotb noted that Dion “knew” something was wrong in 2016 but was undiagnosed at the time. Dion publicly revealed her diagnosis in December 2022.
