Celine Dion has promised to return to the stage after his diagnosis with Stiff Person Syndrome.
In a new clip from the singer’s interview with TodayOn Hoda Kotb, which airs tonight, June 11 at 10pm ET, Dion declared, “I’m going back on stage. Even if I have to crawl, even if I have to talk with my hands. I go.”
Although she didn’t publicly reveal her battle with Stiff Person Syndrome until last year, the singer began experiencing symptoms of the rare neurological condition nearly two decades ago during her 2008 Taking Chances world tour while in Germany.
“I started to feel like my body was getting stiffer,” she told Kotb, adding that she was really scared when she got on stage and noticed that “I started sounding more nasal.”
To compensate, she said, “We lowered the songs a little with the keys and designed them more nasal and hopeful.”
But the muscle spasms that accompanied his symptoms eventually led to canceled shows. “I couldn’t do this anymore. What do you want me to say? What do I have? We didn’t know what was going on,” she explained. “I didn’t take advantage of the time I should have stopped. Take the time to find out.
After more than a decade of testing and treatment, she finally received the diagnosis, which can cause stiffness in the body and limbs as well as debilitating spasms.
In an earlier clip from Dion’s interview with Kotb, she described what it was like performing with Stiff Person Syndrome, saying it was like singing while “someone is strangling you.” In another segment, she explained why she finally shared her diagnosis: Lying to me, the burden was too much. Lying to the people who got me where I am today, I couldn’t take it anymore,” she said.
In the new clip shared Tuesday, she said that, at first, it was difficult to hear people say her name while she was still processing what was happening with her health. “I didn’t know who I was anymore, because I’m not the person I was. I want you to be my own hero to be the best me. Brave… the show must go on.
After intensive physical therapy and vocal rehabilitation with medication, Dion said she is determined to return to acting. “I am Celine Dion,” she said. “Because today my voice will be heard for the first time, not just because I need to, or because I have to. Because I want it and I miss it.”
Although Dion remained coy about when her next performance would take place, she confirmed that there is a plan in place. “So we know there’s a date coming up,” Kotb said.
