DLNews Entertainment:

Celine Dion (54) is close to tears when she tells her fans for the first time about the severe illness that has plagued her for more than a year.

"I've struggled with my health for a long time, and it's been very difficult for me to deal with this challenge and talk about what I've been through," the singer ("My Heart Will Go On") says in a video message on Instagram.

With "My Heart Will Go On," Dion wrote the soundtrack for the century film "Titanic."

Dion struggles to regain composure before saying, "I was recently diagnosed with a very rare nervous condition called SPS stiff person syndrome."

Stiff Person Syndrome is an autoimmune disease that causes muscle spasms in the back and hips.

Unfortunately, not for Céline Dion either, who has to postpone her European tour, which was delayed to February 2023 by a year. "Unfortunately, the cramps are affecting all aspects of my daily life. Sometimes they make it difficult for me to walk and forbid my vocal cords to sing the way I'm used to. So I'm sorry to tell you I'm not ready to restart my tour in February."

In October, the Canadian canceled her shows in Las Vegas (USA) for the first time because of "severe and persistent muscle cramps," as she wrote on Instagram. In January, she also had to cancel North American dates of her "Courage" world tour.

The illness is the second stroke of fate that Dion has to accept in a few years. In January 2016, she lost the love of her life, René Angelil († 73), to esophageal cancer. The couple had been married since 1994.

Celine Dion married her manager René Angelil in 1994. The couple remained inseparable until his death.

Celine Dion's heart still keeps going. She fights every day to get her voice back. "I have a great team of doctors helping me get healthier. I work daily with my sports medicine therapist to rebuild my strength, but I have to admit it was a struggle,” says the Canadian.

Then the singer turns to her fans again: "Singing is all I know; it's what I've done all my life and love the most. I miss you all very much. I miss seeing you, being on stage, and performing for you. I always give 100 percent in my shows, but my condition doesn't allow me to do that right now. I hope I am on the mend."