Céline Dion says her illness makes her feel like 'somebody is strangling' her when singing

Céline Dion opened up about how her stiff person syndrome has been affecting her capability to sing, to the point where she feels like she's being "strangled."

In her first televised interview about her health since she revealed her diagnosis in 2022, Dion detailed what it was like trying to sing with the disorder.

"It’s like somebody is strangling you. It’s like somebody is pushing your larynx/pharynx this way," the singer told TODAY before raising her voice. "It was like talking like that, and you cannot go high or lower."

Symptoms first started showing in her throat, but Dion simply brushed it off at the time as she believed it was "going to be fine." However, as the illness progressed, she began to experience the painful muscle spasms and stiffness in other parts of her body.

"It can also be in the abdominal, can be in the spine, can be in the ribs. But it feels like if I point my feet, they will stay in a (stuck position), or if I cook—because I love to cook—my fingers, my hands, will get in a position," she said.

"My feet—it's cramping, but it’s like in a position of you cannot unlock them," she added.

Dion went on to share that she had spasms so severe that she had broken her ribs because of it.

"I have broken ribs at one point because sometimes, when it’s very severe, it can break some ribs as well," she shared.

TODAY host Hoda Kotb previously revealed that Dion "almost died" because of her stiff person syndrome, saying, "It was a scary time and she’s dealing with this."

Dion disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, which is "a rare, progressive syndrome that affects the nervous system, specifically the brain and spinal cord," according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

It causes muscle stiffness as well as spasms, normally between the ages of 30 and 60. The symptoms can remain stable in some cases but could get progressively worse in others.

Because of this, the singer was forced to cancel a string of shows scheduled for 2023 and 2024, saying she was not strong enough to tour.