‘It’s devastating in so many ways’: Shania Twain feared she would never sing again after contracting Lyme disease and undergoing throat surgery
Shania Twain says she feared she would never be able to sing again after undergoing open-throat surgery when she contracted Lyme disease.
The singer, 54, contracted the tick-borne illness in 2003, and her voice was damaged by the effects of dysphonia as a result of the disease.
Speaking on Loose Women on Monday, the country star said: ‘There was a long time where I thought I would never sing again.
Scary: Shania Twain says she feared she would never be able to sing again after undergoing open-throat surgery when she contracted Lyme disease
‘It took years to get to the bottom of what was affecting my voice. I would say probably a good seven years before a doctor was able to find out it was nerve damage to my vocal chords directly caused by Lyme disease.
‘I was out horse back riding in the forest and was bitten by a tick.’
The That Don’t Impress Me Much hitmaker said it has affected her speaking voice to this day and it made her very self-conscious and nervous.
Fear: The singer, 54, contracted the tick-borne illness in 2003, and her voice was damaged by the effects of dysphonia as a result of the disease
Life-changing: The That Don’t Impress Me Much hitmaker said it has affected her speaking voice to this day and it made her very self-conscious and nervous.
She said: ‘You start avoiding speaking on the phone, you start avoiding going to places with any ambient noise where you have to speak over the volume of others. It’s very debilitating.
‘Our voices are such a big part of our self expression and for a vocalist it’s devastating in so many ways.’
She added: ‘Until I got to the bottom of why I was having a problem with my voice, there wasn’t much I could do about it.
Grateful: The star underwent a risky open throat surgery and fortunately she was able to return to singing
‘It took a long time and I did believe I would have to accept at some point I was never going to be able to sing again.
‘Thankfully I persevered and I’m making records again and putting on concerts.’
The star underwent a risky open throat surgery and fortunately she was able to return to singing.
The operation has had permanent effects on her voice but she has embraced the new sound.
Throwback: The operation has had permanent effects on her voice but she has embraced the new sound
She said: ‘My voice has changed, my speaking voice is definitely the biggest effort.
‘As you can hear I get quite raspy and sometimes I have to make adjustments as I’m speaking. But singing because there’s more projection involved is easier.
‘I have more power when I’m singing now. I have more character I find and I enjoy singing again, speaking is the more difficult challenge for me than singing but I’ll take that.’