Céline Dion Says Stiff-Person Syndrome Feels Like “Somebody Is Strangling You”
![Céline Dion Says Stiff-Person Syndrome Feels Like “Somebody Is Strangling You”](https://yourmorningtea.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Celine-Dion.jpeg)
Céline Dion is sharing her deeply personal battle with stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological condition that has profoundly affected her voice and daily life. In an emotional interview with NBC News’ Hoda Kotb, airing Tuesday, June 11, the five-time Grammy winner, 56, discussed the impact of her diagnosis, which she first revealed in 2022.
“It’s like somebody is strangling you. It’s like somebody is pushing your larynx/pharynx,” she explained.
Raising her voice to demonstrate the impact the condition has had on her, she stated, “It was like talking like that, and you cannot go high or lower.”
She continued, “It gets into a spasm. “It started [in the throat]. [And I thought], ‘No, OK, it’s gonna be fine.’ But it can also be the abdominal, can be in the spine, can be in the ribs.”
Céline described how the stiffness sometimes feels as if her muscles are locked in place. “It feels like, if I point my feet, they will stay in that position,” she said. “Or, if I cook — because I love to cook — my fingers, my hands, will get in position. It’s cramping, but it’s like in a position where you cannot unlock them.”
The condition has been so severe that it has caused her to break ribs. “I have broken ribs at one point because sometimes when it’s very severe, it can break,” she revealed.
Stiff-person syndrome is a rare, incurable neurological disease that can cause debilitating muscle spasms. According to the Stiff Person Syndrome Foundation, the condition affects the central nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord. Symptoms can include “hyper-rigidity, debilitating pain, chronic anxiety,” and muscle spasms “so violent they can dislocate joints and even break bones.”
Céline’s diagnosis forced her to cancel all upcoming performances. “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,” she said when she revealed her diagnosis.
“All I know is singing. It’s what I’ve done all my life. And it’s what I love to do the most,” she added.