Delta Goodrem realises she can’t speak in heartbreaking video – causing fears her career was over

Delta Goodrem has shared heartbreaking footage of herself slurring her words and unable to control her speech following complications from salivary gland removal surgery.

The celebrated singer, 35, posted the confronting video on Instagram to reveal the inspiration behind her new single Paralyzed on Sunday. 

Delta woke up from surgery discovering she could barely talk due to paralysis of a nerve in her tongue. 

In a video filmed in October 2018, The Voice star is seen breaking down in tears at the thought that her career may be over. 

Struggling to form her words, Delta wept: ‘I don’t want to go out, I’m super embarrassed… I’m super embarrassed, I’m just over it! I’m just trying to stay positive.’ 

‘My livelihood is my sound… I’m trying to decide whether this is getting any better or not. It doesn’t feel like it.’  

In a video taken immediately after her surgery, Delta had displayed a more positive approach to her ailment. 

Clutching her throat as she lay in the hospital bed, a drained-looking Delta told the camera: ‘I’m taking this as a rebirth thing… rebirth… 34.’ 

When a nerve is damaged there is no predicting when, or if it may ever recover. 

Delta endured months of rehabilitation with daily speech therapy to get her voice back.   

Other footage shows the Born To Try singer practicing vowel and consonant sounds, as well as the phrase, ‘When the sunlight strikes, raindrops in the air.’  

Delta had kept the surgery a secret up until this point, deciding to announce it on Instagram on Sunday as a way of explaining why she had not released new music.   

‘It’s been a strange process not actually sharing it straight away, but I just didn’t know if I was ready yet,’ Delta admitted in a clip shared to her Instagram Stories on Sunday.   

‘I share this with you as an artist sharing where the poetry in this song comes from, and as a human who deeply feels and understands that everyone has their own story and their own challenges,’ she continued.  

This year, Delta has released the first two singles from her forthcoming sixth studio album: Keep Climbing and Paralyzed. 

Delta previously told Daily Mail Australia that Keep Climbing is about ‘reminding  people to not be afraid to find their strength’.

‘[It’s about being able] to find that part in you to keep climbing and to continue to believe that it will lead you to that next moment in your life,’ she said.