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'It's like somebody is strangling you': Celine Dion on having Stiff-Person Syndrome

'It's like somebody is strangling you': Celine Dion on having Stiff-Person Syndrome
Singer Celine Dion arrives to attend the Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2019/20 collection show by designer Alexandre Vauthier in Paris, France, on July 2, 2019.
PHOTO: Reuters

Celine Dion sometimes feels like she's being strangled because of Stiff-Person Syndrome.

The 56-year-old singer announced that she'd been diagnosed with the rare neurological disease in 2022, and she recently revealed how it's impacted her health.

In a preview from an upcoming interview with NBC News, Celine shared: "It's like somebody is strangling you. It's like somebody is pushing your larynx/pharynx. It was like talking like that, and you cannot go high or lower."

Celine initially tried to cope with the symptoms, before accepting that her life was destined to change.

She said: "It gets into a spasm. It started [in the throat]. [And I thought], 'No, okay, it's gonna be fine.' But it can also be the abdominal, can be in the spine, can be in the ribs."

Celine often suffers from cramps and she's even broken some ribs amid her health troubles.

She shared: "It feels like, if I point my feet, they will stay in [that position]. Or, if I cook - because I love to cook - my fingers, my hands, will get in position ... It's cramping but it's like in a position where you cannot unlock them.

"I have broken ribs at one point because sometimes when its very severe, it can break."

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Celine previously revealed that she hopes to "raise awareness" of Stiff-Person Syndrome through a new feature-length documentary.

The award-winning star has opened up about her struggles in I Am: Celine Dion, which premieres later this month.

She said: "This last couple of years has been such a challenge for me, the journey from discovering my condition to learning how to live with and manage it, but not to let it define me.

"As the road to resuming my performing career continues, I have realised how much I have missed it, of being able to see my fans.

"During this absence, I decided I wanted to document this part of my life, to try to raise awareness of this little-known condition, to help others who share this diagnosis."

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