Celine Dion has explained why she initially decided to keep her Stiff Person Syndrome diagnosis to herself.
In a new clip from the Canadian singer’s upcoming interview with Today’s Hoda Kotb, which will air on Tuesday, Dion opened up about why she decided to go public with her diagnosis.
Dion has shared that she didn’t announce her diagnosis at first because she was still trying to understand what her future would look like.
“What did you want me to say? ‘I have…’ what?” Dion told the host. “We did not know what was going on.”
The singer revealed in December 2022 that she was battling the rare neurological disorder, which causes muscle stiffness and spasms. She later cancelled all of her concerts scheduled for 2023 and 2024.
The My Heart Will Go On hitmaker has stated that she first experienced symptoms of the condition in 2008 during her Taking Chances World Tour.
“I did not take the time I should have stopped, take the time to figure it out,” Dion admitted, adding that her late husband René Angélil was “fighting for his own life” at the time as he battled throat cancer.
“I had to raise my kids, I had to hide. I had to try to be a hero,” the mother-of-three added.
Dion went on to explain that keeping her diagnosis a secret took a toll on her.
“I could not do this anymore,” she said. “Lying for me, the burden was too much. Lying to the people who got me where I am today, I could not do it anymore.”
More than four years since she last performed in front of an audience, the singer has returned to the public eye. She is set to open up about the details of her illness and how it has affected her career in the upcoming documentary I Am: Celine Dion, which will premiere on 18 June.
