Before disclosing her battle with stiff person syndrome to the public, Canadian singer Celine Dion revealed that she had been hiding it for 17 years.

This week, during an appearance with Hoda Kotb on the Today Show, Dion disclosed that she was fighting the disease covertly while also taking care of her late husband Rene Angelil’s cancer and raising their kids.

The 56-year-old singer said that she has been having symptoms since 2008. She initially disclosed her diagnosis in 2022.

“We were unaware of what was happening to me.” I didn’t give it enough time. I ought to have given it some thought and stopped, she remarked.

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“As if that weren’t enough, my spouse is also struggling to survive.

She went on, “I had to raise my children, conceal, and strive to be a hero—all while feeling like my body was failing me. “[I was] clinging to my own hopes and dreams.”

The vocalist of “Think Twice” revealed that she eventually shared her disease with others since concealing it from “the people who got her to where she was” was a significant “burden.”

Recently, Celine Dion said that she feels like she’s “being strangled” due to her Stiff Person Syndrome.

She continued by saying that she had broken a few ribs and frequently experienced cramping.