Céline Dion Opens Up About Her ‘Chronic And Progressive’ Stiff Person Syndrome To Hoda Kotb In ‘Very Emotional’ Interview Clip
June 8, 2024 by Reanna Haase
Today gave us a glance into Céline Dion’s first broadcast interview since 2022, where the “My Heart Will Go On” singer opens up to Hoda Kotb about the reality of her rare condition, stiff person syndrome.
In 2022, the Canadian star revealed that she was diagnosed with a progressive and chronic neurological condition that causes stiffness and produces intense muscle spasms, according to John Hopkins Medicine. Shortly after, she canceled all future tour dates.
In the June 7th episode of Today, a clip from the upcoming primetime special was shared, where Dion, 56, revealed that when she sings “it’s like somebody is strangling” her.
“It’s like somebody is pushing your larynx/pharynx this way,” Dion said while laying her hands on her throat. The star detailed that this makes it hard for her to control the pitch and tone of her voice, and leads to throat spasms.
The “I Love You” hitmaker told Vogue France on May 23rd that her symptoms began on her tour in 2008. The singer told Kotb, 59, that it only affected her throat first and she thought “OK, that’s going to be fine.”
However, the nature of her condition is chronic and fast-moving, meaning that the muscle spasms and stiffness quickly traveled to her hands. Dion told Kotb that the symptoms now are in her abdomen, back, ribs and down through her appendages.
“If I cook – because I love to cook – my fingers, my hands, will get [stuck] in a position,” the six-time Grammy winner detailed.
The severity of these spasms became even more apparent when Dion revealed in the interview that some of her intense spasms had broken her ribs in the past.