Shania Twain wowed crowds with her Glastonbury set in 2017, but she once feared she would never be able to sing again after contracting a disease that forced her to undergo open-throat surgery
Shania Twain has opened up about her emotional journey back to the stage after a battle with Lyme disease that led to open-throat surgery, which she endured while fully conscious.
The country music icon, 58, graced the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival for the coveted Legends slot on Sunday afternoon, delighting fans with her performance. However, there was a time when Shania feared she might never sing again.
She experienced frightening symptoms following a tick bite that caused her to blackout during performances and was later diagnosed with Lyme disease.
In her Netflix documentary ‘Not Just a Girl’, Shania shared the harrowing details of how her voice was irrevocably altered by the illness. “My symptoms were quite scary because before I was diagnosed, I was on stage very dizzy.” she revealed.
“I was losing my balance, I was afraid I was gonna fall off the stage… I was having these very, very, very millisecond blackouts, but regularly, every minute or every 30 seconds.” She continued, expressing the fear that gripped her: “My voice was never the same again. I thought I’d lost my voice forever. I thought that was it, [and] I would never, ever sing again.”
Appearing on ITV’s Lorraine, Shania spoke about how grateful she felt to be able to return to singing and songwriting after such a traumatic experience. “It was quite depressing and devastating to imagine that [not being able to sing again]. Even speaking has been difficult with the Lyme disease.”
“Now I’m just feeling so grateful that I can sing and express myself. And this now is my first album since the operation on my voice.”
Speaking about the daunting medical procedure, she revealed: “You have to be awake while they do it. I was more afraid of never singing again than getting through the operation. The reason you have to be awake for the operation is that you have to sing during it so they know exactly what to do.”
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