Celine Dion is gracing the stage tonight for the Paris Olympics 2024 Opening Ceremony – however, the Canadian singer has revealed that she “could have died” after taking medication for her debilitating condition.

The singer, 56, suffers with stiff person syndrome (SPS) – a devastating neurological disorder that causes spasms, muscle rigidity and chronic pain. She revealed in her Amazon Prime Video special I Am: Celine Dionthat she began taking Valium in order to perform after SPS began to affect her singing.

“When I try to breathe, my lungs are fine. It’s what’s in front of my lungs that is rigid because of SPS. I know what I want my voice to do,” said Celine, and as she sang, her voice cracked. “That’s what happens and it’s very difficult for me to hear.”

She then began taking Valium to keep the spasms at bay while on stage. “I needed my instrument and it was not working. We started to elevate the medicine – I was on 80-90mgs of Valium a day,” she said. “I don’t want to sound dramatic but I could have died. I was taking those medicines because I needed to be able to walk, I needed to swallow, I needed the medicine to function. One more pill, two more pills, five more pills. The show must go on.”

After SPS became too much for her, Celina began cancelling her shows. “I was lying about why I cancelled – from a sinus infection to an ear infection,” she says. “Sometimes I would point my microphone to the audience and I would make them sing. There are moments where I cheated and I tapped on the microphone like it was the microphone’s fault. But the lie is too heavy now.”