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Celine Dion's new documentary gives fans a glimpse into life behind the scenes after her devastating diagnosis of Stiff Person Syndrome, and reveals how it's affected her famous voice.
The 56-year-old “All By Myself” star revealed in December 2022 that he has a rare neurological disorder that causes muscle stiffness and painful spasms.
In “I Am: Celine Dion,” which hits Prime Video on June 25, the Canadian singer reveals that she first noticed symptoms of the disease 17 years ago while eating breakfast.
“Seventeen years ago, I started experiencing vocal spasms. That was the beginning,” she says in the film, directed by Oscar nominee Eileen Taylor.
“One morning I woke up, had breakfast, and after I had my breakfast, my voice started to get louder.
“I was a little surprised because usually when I'm tired as a singer because I've done a show the night before, my voice goes half a note or a whole note off key.”
Celine Dion gets emotional while talking about how stiff person syndrome has affected her voice (Getty Images)
She continued, “I was scared and I didn't know what to do. And today, [I’ve received] Diagnosis: SPS, or stiff-person syndrome.
“It's in the muscles, it's in the tendons, it's in the nerves. It's invisible, so you can't see anything.”
Dion said he lost his balance and was in “severe pain”, to the point where he “couldn't walk”.
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“I still don't have a voice,” she said, crying. “The music… I miss it so much. But I miss the people too.”
Celine Dion reveals life behind the scenes while battling rare disease (AP)
She then demonstrated how SPS prevents her from singing: “When you try to breathe, your lungs are fine. The front part of your lungs becomes stiff because of stiff person syndrome.”
As she tried to sing, her voice — the five-octave mezzo-soprano made famous in “My Heart Will Got On” — visibly trembled, and she stopped, then became emotional again.
“These things happen. This is very hard for me to show you,” she said, crying.
“I thought it was very good… I thought we had some great stuff.”
Celine Dion in the trailer for “I Am: Celine Dion” (Prime Video)
I Am: Celine Dion highlights her incredible career to date as well as offering a behind-the-scenes look at her battle with the life-changing illness, and has been described as a “love letter” to Dion's fans.
Much of the documentary is shot in and around Dion's home, where she spends time with her 13-year-old twin sons, Nelson and Eddie, undergoing treatment and reflecting on her humble beginnings, the youngest of 14 children in a poor family.
Dion has three children, including 23-year-old son Rene-Charles, with her late husband and manager Rene Angélil, who died of throat cancer in January 2016 at the age of 73.
“I Am: Celine Dion” will be released on Prime Video on June 25th.