Celine Dion details excruciating vocal effect of Stiff Person Syndrome

Celine Dione is opening up about the painful ways that Stiff-Person Syndrome has affected her voice.

The 56-year-old singer – often regarded as one of the greatest vocalists alive – got candid about her condition in a new interview with NBC News’ Hoda Kotb.

“It’s like somebody is strangling you. It’s like somebody is pushing your larynx/ pharynx,” the five-time Grammy winner explained in a preview aired on Friday, June 7, via People Magazine.

She continued, “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.”

The All By Myself singer further detailed the impact her condition has on the rest of her body.

“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,” she said.

She also revealed that she has “broken [her] ribs” in very severe cases.

Dion revealed her diagnosis of Stiff-Person syndrome in 2022.