{"id":24205,"date":"2026-08-19T18:30:33","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T18:30:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=24205"},"modified":"2026-08-19T18:30:33","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T18:30:33","slug":"celine-dion-reveals-17-years-of-hidden-stiff-person-syndrome-symptoms","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=24205","title":{"rendered":"C\u00e9line Dion reveals 17 years of hidden stiff-person syndrome symptoms"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n
\n

NEW<\/span>You can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n<\/div>\n

C\u00e9line Dion is opening up about the yearslong health battle she kept hidden from fans before finally receiving a life-changing diagnosis.<\/p>\n

The 58-year-old singer recently appeared on the cover of the Harper\u2019s Bazaar Global Icons issue and revealed in the accompanying interview that she had been experiencing symptoms of stiff-person syndrome for about 17 years before she was first diagnosed in August 2022.<\/p>\n

Stiff-person syndrome (SPS) is a rare neurological disorder that causes severe muscle stiffness and painful, often unpredictable spasms.<\/p>\n

CELINE DION DESCRIBES FEELING \u2018LIKE SOMEBODY IS STRANGLING\u2019 HER WHEN SINGING WITH STIFF PERSON SYNDROME<\/u><\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\"Celine<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n
\n
\n

Celine Dion revealed that she struggled with stiff-person syndrome symptoms for 17 years before her 2022 diagnosis.<\/span> (Getty Images)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

During those years, Dion’s symptoms could become so debilitating that she struggled to walk and, at times, relied on high doses of Valium “simply to function,” according to the outlet.<\/p>\n

“It is a progressive condition,” Dion told Harper’s Bazaar. “I don\u2019t like to say \u2018disease.\u2019”<\/p>\n

According to Harper’s Bazaar, Dion also struggled with guilt over attributing canceled shows to sinus infections or coughs while privately dealing with far more serious symptoms.<\/p>\n

As her unexplained health problems intensified around the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, Dion largely withdrew from public view due to concerns that fans might question her concert cancellations if they saw her otherwise going about her life, Harper’s Bazaar reported.<\/p>\n

Dion first publicly revealed her stiff-person syndrome diagnosis in an emotional video she shared on Instagram in December 2022.<\/p>\n

\n
\"Celine<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n
\n
\n

Dion first revealed her diagnosis in December 2022.\u00a0<\/span> (Robin Galiegue)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what has been causing all of the spasms I’ve been having,” she said at the time in the clip. “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.”<\/p>\n

After revealing her diagnosis, Dion initially postponed a string of European concerts and canceled several others. In May 2023, she announced that she was scrapping the remainder of her Courage World Tour, canceling all remaining 2023 and 2024 dates.<\/p>\n

In the years since being diagnosed, Dion has undergone an intensive rehabilitation regimen as she works to manage the condition and return to the stage. According to Harper’s Bazaar, Dion’s regimen includes medication, physical and vocal therapy, and immunotherapy.<\/p>\n

LIKE WHAT YOU’RE READING? CLICK HERE FOR MORE ENTERTAINMENT NEWS<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n
\"Celine<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n
\n
\n

The singing icon said that she relied on Valium to function during the more challenging days.<\/span> (Robin Galiegue)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

As her treatment progressed, the “My Heart Will Go On” songstress slowly began stepping back into the public eye. In February 2024, Dion returned to the spotlight<\/u> at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards, appearing on stage for the first time since she stopped performing in 2020. Dion served as the final presenter of the night, announcing Taylor Swift’s win for album of the year.<\/p>\n

Dion continued her gradual return to the spotlight that summer, promoting her documentary, “I Am: C\u00e9line Dion,” and making a rare red carpet appearance at its New York premiere in June.<\/p>\n

The following month, Dion made a triumphant return to the stage when she performed at the end of the Paris 2024 Olympics opening ceremony, singing \u00c9dith Piaf\u2019s “Hymne \u00e0 l\u2019amour” from the Eiffel Tower.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER<\/strong><\/p>\n

In November 2024, Dion performed at Elie Saab\u2019s 1001 Seasons fashion show in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Earlier this year, Dion announced on her 58th birthday that she would headline a five-week residency in Paris beginning next month.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n
\"Celine<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n
\n
\n

Dion is headlining a five-week residency in Paris next month.<\/span> (Robin Galiegue)<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“This year, I\u2019m getting the best birthday gift of my life,” she said in a video. “I\u2019m getting the chance to see you, to perform for you once again in Paris, beginning in September!”<\/p>\n

“I\u2019m feeling good, I\u2019m strong, I\u2019m feeling excited, obviously a little nervous, but most of all, I\u2019m grateful to all of you!” she added. “I love you all and I\u2019ll see you soon!”<\/p>\n

As she prepares for her Paris residency, Dion has incorporated 90-minute Pilates sessions three times a week and ballet classes on other days into her recovery regimen, according to Harper\u2019s Bazaar.<\/p>\n

The five-time Grammy Award winner told the outlet that reconnecting with her fans remains at the heart of her comeback.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/strong><\/p>\n

“It\u2019s been so long, I would like to offer them something to show how I\u2019ve missed them,” she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n
\n

Ashley Hume is an entertainment journalist for Fox News Digital and Fox Business who covers breaking news, celebrity culture, major industry events and the business of entertainment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! C\u00e9line Dion is opening up about the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":24206,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-24205","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sport"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24205","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24205"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24205\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/24206"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24205"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24205"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24205"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}