Canadian singer Celine Dion revealed that she kept her struggle with Stiff Person Syndrome a secret for 17 years before making it public.
In a recent interview with Hoda Kotb on the Today Show, Dion shared that she dealt with the illness while also managing her late husband Rene Angelil’s cancer and raising their children.
The 56-year-old singer, who first disclosed her diagnosis in 2022, admitted she had been experiencing symptoms since 2008.
“We didn’t know what was happening to me. I should have taken the time to figure it out,” she said.
“On top of that, my husband was fighting for his life. I had to raise my kids, hide my condition, and try to be a hero while feeling my body failing me,” she added. “I was holding on to my own dreams.”
Dion explained that she eventually decided to share her illness because hiding it from her supporters became too much of a burden.
She recently described her Stiff Person Syndrome as feeling like she’s “being strangled” and mentioned suffering from cramps and broken ribs.
