Celine Dion Opens Up: “I Couldn’t Keep This Secret Anymore”

Celine Dion, the powerhouse vocalist known for her soaring ballads and unwavering dedication to her fans, has finally broken her silence on the health struggles that have plagued her in recent years. In a candid interview with Hoda Kotb on NBC’s Today Show, the Canadian icon revealed the emotional toll of keeping her Stiff Person Syndrome diagnosis under wraps.

“I could not do this anymore. What do you want me to say? I have… what? We did not know what was going on. I did not take the time. I should have stopped. Take the time to figure it out… my husband as well was fighting for his own life. I had to raise my kids. I had to hide. I had to try to be a hero. Feeling my body leaving me, holding onto my own dreams. And the lying for me was – the burden was like too much.”

Dion’s decision to come clean came after years of battling the debilitating condition, which causes uncontrollable muscle spasms and stiffness. To her it felt like “somebody is strangling you. It’s like somebody is pushing your larynx/pharynx this way. It was like talking like that, and you cannot go high or lower. It gets into a spasm.”

The severity of the condition even led to a heartbreaking incident where Dion suffered broken ribs due to the intense spasms. This forced her to cancel her 2023 tour, leaving fans heartbroken and wondering what had happened to their beloved singer.

Her upcoming documentary, I Am: Celine Dion, premiering on Prime Video on June 25th, will delve deeper into her battle with Stiff Person Syndrome and her unwavering spirit in the face of adversity.

Catch the full interview with Hoda Kotb on NBC’s Today Show on Tuesday, June 11th at 10 p.m. ET, where Celine Dion will share more about her journey and her hopes for the future.