Céline Dion Says Stiff-Person Syndrome Feels 'Like Somebody's Strangling You'

Céline Dion is opening up about the effects stiff-person syndrome is having on her voice.

"It's like somebody is strangling you. It's like somebody is pushing your larynx/pharynx," she said in an interview with Hoda Kotb on the Today show that aired on Friday (June 7).

She then demonstrated the effects by raising her voice. "It was like talking like that, and you cannot go high or lower."

"It gets into a spasm," the "My Heart Will Go On" singer added. "It started [in the throat. And I thought], 'No, OK, it's gonna be fine.' But it can also be the abdominal, can be the spine, can be the ribs."

The singer added that the condition affected her hands while she was trying to engage in one of her passions -- cooking. "My hands will get into a position. It's cramping, but they get in a position, and you cannot unlock them," she said.

She also revealed that the spasms are so intense at times that she suffered a broken rib.

Dion started feeling the effects of the rare neurological disorder as far back as 2016, but she wasn't sure exactly what it was, according to Kotb. The condition not only affects Dion's voice, but her ability to walk and talk.

The singer revealed that she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome back in December 2022, causing her to put her recording and touring career on hold.

At the time of the diagnosis, she shared her struggle with her fans. "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.

"All I know is singing," Dion continued. "It's what I've done all my life. And it's what I love to do the most."

At one point in her ongoing battle with the condition, Dion said that she almost died, but now she is being treated with drugs to help ease the pain and discomfort caused by the syndrome.

A full hour of Kotb's interview with Dion will air Tuesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT, 9 p.m. CT on NBC.

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Celine Dion