Devastating footage of Céline Dion suffering symptoms of the crippling Still Person Syndrome (SPS) has reportedly come to light, though it was first used in one of her old documentaries.
It was back in 2022 that the superstar singer first broke the news that she had been diagnosed with the incurable autoimmune neurological disease, taking to Instagram to post a brave and emotional video.
Since then much has been speculated regarding Dion’s career, with the star determined to return to singing in whatever capacity possible. The 56-year-old was forced to cancel all the dates of her world tour throughout 2023 and 2024, and certain reports have painted a bleak outlook.
In a trailer released last month for Dion’s new documentary, she could be seen on the verge of tears as she discussed coping with a life wherein she cannot perform as she has done for the past few decades…
Earlier this week, the renowned singer of “My Heart Will Go On” revealed that she had been battling Stiff Person Syndrome privately before disclosing her diagnosis to the public.
Speaking openly with Today’s Hoda Kotb, she shared that eventually, keeping her illness a secret became unbearable.
“What do you want me to say? I have what? We didn’t know what was happening. I should have stopped and taken the time to figure it out, to take the time… it wasn’t enough,” she expressed.
“My husband also had his own battle for his life. I had to raise my kids, I had to hide, I had to try to be a hero, feeling my body abandon me, clinging to my own dreams.
“And lying, for me, was too much. Lying to the people who brought me to where I am today – I couldn’t do it anymore.”
The singer went on to describe SPS, which includes uncontrollable muscle spasms, as feeling like “someone is strangling you.”
“It’s like someone is pushing your larynx/pharynx this way,” she described.
Recently uncovered footage from Céline’s 2010 documentary, “Céline: Through the Eyes of the World,” shows the singer at the age of 40 discussing vocal spasms and cold-like symptoms with her doctor.
“My main problem now is my neck. I cannot relax my neck, so I cannot relax my vocal cords, and I cannot vocalize well,” she explains in the clip.
“My main problem isn’t hitting the high notes; it’s spasming. My eyebrows are spasming, my ears. I’m telling you, I’m going to lose it soon. I’m telling you.”
Dion also shared her ongoing struggles with her team while on tour.
“To make a long story short, by the time I went to the meet and greet, my breathing was too rapid, I was too spasmed up, I couldn’t finish a sentence,” the star revealed.
“The show hadn’t even started yet. I was saying hello to people, and I couldn’t breathe. I went on with the show.
“And when I sang ‘I drove all night for the first time,’ it was [off key], ‘I drove all night,’ right there. Last night, after doing everything, I was spitting out mucus.”
Our thoughts are with Céline Dion as she continues to bravely confront her current challenges.
