Celine Dion has said that she spent four years locked up because she had Stiff Person Syndrome.
The singer said she didn’t go out after giving up her shows because she was afraid her fans would think she wasn’t “that sick.”
Celine, who is 56 years old, talked about being diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome on Hoda Kotb’s Making Spaces podcast on Wednesday.
She started showing signs of the disorder for the first time during her 2008 Taking Chances World Tour.
The pop star said, “The load was so heavy.”
“I told myself, ‘I need to do what I need to do and tell the world what’s going on.'” I had proof of what was going on with me.
“I can’t go watch my kids play golf.” What if those people were supposed to see me perform two years ago and were like, “But she’s canceling shows because she’s watching her kid?” She’s not really sick.
“So I didn’t want people to see me because if they see me, I’m supposed to be fine,” Celine told us.
“I should be on stage if I go outside.” I stayed inside because of this. That’s four years inside.”
Hoda gasped and asked again, “Four years?”
“Okay. “Four years,” Celine said for sure.
She also said she “insisted” on staying with her kids.
“I think about it sometimes – I would be very very lonely and it would be harder if I had no kids,” she shared.
Between her late husband René Angélil and her three children, René-Charles, 23, and twins Nelson and Eddy, 13, are the youngest.
RARE SETTING
In 2022, six years after René’s death from throat cancer, she was told she had the rare autoimmune and neurological syndrome.
The disorder gets worse over time and leads to painful muscle spasms and stiff muscles. It can’t be cured, but medicine and physical therapy can make it easier to live with.
A while ago, the singer talked about how she told her kids about her diagnosis.
People reported that her kids had “started to notice” that she could “barely walk.”
“I told them, ‘Okay, they lost a parent already.'” The singer said, “I don’t want them to be scared.”
Celine told them, “You lost your dad, but your mom has a sickness, and it’s not the same.” I’m not going to pass out. I’m going to get used to it.
In December 2022, she first told everyone about her illness in a tearful Instagram video.
The Canadian singer had to cancel her world tour because of health problems.
Her new documentary, I Am: Celine Dion, goes live on Prime Video on June 25. In it, she talks about her health problems.
