Celine Dion Reveals How Stiff Person Syndrome Has Changed Her Singing Voice

In a teaser clip for a new interview, the five-time Grammy winner shared what's happened when she’s recently attempted to sing.

A year and a half after going public with her stiff person syndrome diagnosis, Celine Dion is opening up about how the neurological condition has impacted her world-renowned singing voice.

In a Friday teaser clip for an upcoming NBC interview, Dion told “Today” host Hoda Kotb that it’s felt “like somebody’s strangling you” when she’s recently attempted to sing.

“It’s like somebody’s pushing your larynx, pharynx, this way,” the five-time Grammy winner explained as she used her hand to push inward on her throat. After transitioning into a restrained, high-pitched tone, she added, “It’s like you’re talking like that, and you cannot go high or lower.”

Stiff person syndrome, or SPS, is defined by the National Institutes of Health as “a rare, progressive neurological disorder” that can lead to muscle spasms. The condition can be so debilitating that some patients are eventually unable to walk or move independently. Though symptoms can be kept under control with treatment, there is no cure.

Watch the teaser for Dion’s NBC interview below.