"I’ve always been an open book and I wasn’t ready to say anything before but I'm ready now."
Céline Dion has revealed that she has been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), which causes her muscles to tense uncontrollably - making it difficult for the popstar at times to walk and sing the way she is used to doing.
The condition is said to leave sufferers as "human statues" as it progressively locks the body into rigid positions, ultimately leaving people unable to walk or talk.
There is no cure for SPS, though there are treatments that can slow down its progression.
Announcing her diagnosis in a tearful Instagram video post on Thursday, Céline revealed she is doing all she can to minimise her symptoms.
The 54-year-old also revealed to fans in the clip that the condition has forced her to cancel her European tour in February.
"Hello everyone, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to reach out to you. I miss you all so much and can’t wait to be on stage talking to you in person," she said.
"As you know I’ve always been an open book and I wasn’t ready to say anything before but I'm ready now.
"I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time and it's been really difficult for me to face my challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through.
"Recently I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called Stiff Person Syndrome which affects 1 in a million people.
"While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what’s been causing all the spasms I’ve been having."
Explaining more details about how the condition has impacted her, Céline added:
"Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal chords to sing the way I'm used to.
"It hurts me to tell you today that this means I won’t be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February.
"I have a great team of doctors working alongside me to help me get better and my precious children who are supporting me and giving me help.
"I'm working hard with my sports medicine therapist every day to build back my strength and my ability to perform again but I have to admit it’s been a struggle.
"All I know is singing it’s what I’ve done all my life and it's what I love to do the most.
"I miss you so much. I miss seeing all of you being on the stage performing for you. I always give 100 percent when I do my show but my condition is not allowing me to give you that right now.
"For me to reach you again I have no choice but to concentrate on my health at this moment and I have hope that im on the road to recovery.
"This is my focus and I'm doing everything I can to recuperate."
