Celine Dion's drastic weight loss in past 6 years sparked concerns even before Stiff-Person Syndrome diagnosis

Dion had said, as per PEOPLE, “I’m doing this for me. I want to feel strong, beautiful, feminine and sexy. If I like it, I don’t want to talk about it. Don’t bother. Don’t take a picture. If you like it, I’ll be there. If you don’t, leave me alone.” She told HELLO!, “I have been thin all my life. Nobody in my family is overweight. It’s true that I'm a little thinner. Everything's fine, nothing's wrong,” before mentioning, “I do [ballet] four times a week. People say, 'She’s a lot thinner,' but I'm working hard. I like to move and (weight loss) comes with it.”

Despite all the rumors, Dion continued to rule the music industry until recently, when her doctor gave her the bad news. She had reportedly been diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder called Stiff-Person Syndrome, which makes simple things, including walking and singing, a Herculean task.

Sharing her health battle with her legion of followers, the ‘My Heart Will Go On’ singer said, “I've been dealing with problems with my health for a long time. And it's been really difficult for me to face these 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 something like one-in-a-million people."

She continued, “While we're still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what's been causing all of the spasms I've been having. 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."

The mother-of-three thanked her doctors and her children as she stated, “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 hope. I'm working hard with my support 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,” adding, “I want to thank you so much for your encouraging wishes of love and support on my social media. This means a lot to me. Take care of yourselves. Be well. I love you guys so much. And I really hope I can see you again real soon.”