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Shania Twain health: 'very scary' reason she didn't perform for 10 years

The singer struggled for over a decade

shania twain illness
Melanie Macleod
Wellness Editor
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Shania Twain has gifted the world with some of the most iconic songs ever, but there was a scary time when the star feared she'd never be able to perform again.

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In her documentary, Shania Twain: Not Just A Girl, the 56-year-old, opened up about her condition, explaining that in 2003, she was riding her house when she was bitten by a tick. "The tick was infected with Lyme's Disease, and I did get Lyme's Disease and my symptoms were quite scary," Shania said.

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" I was on stage feeling dizzy, I was losing my balance, I was afraid I was going to fall off the stage."

The Come On Over singer explained she experienced millisecond blackouts every 30 seconds, and while she recovered from these issues, she worried that her voice was never the same again.

SEE: Shania Twain steals the show in a mini dress and sequined bra for star-studded festival appearance

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"It just went into this strange flanging, lack of control of the airflow. I didn't understand it. I thought I'd lost my voice forever, I thought I'd never ever sing again."

"I learned that if I could get my vice into a certain place, with a lot of effort, it would sustain for at least long enough to do a great vocal," she said.

shania twain red dress© Photo: Getty Images

Shania Twain couldn't perform for over a decade

Shania previously admitted that the "debilitating" illness left her feeling sad and depressed.

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"I also felt that I was never going to make another album — that was probably my truth. It was devastating. I really grieved about that. It did bring me down and I struggled with it every day," she told The Sun.

shania harry styles© Photo: Getty Images

Shania Twain performed with Harry Styles at Coachella in 2022

"It was very depressing, and I was really sad about it, but I still had my writing, and my writing is my first love, really, over everything. I was only going to be a writer and not the performer," she added.

Shania eventually got her voice to a place where she felt comfortable enough to sing again, and a decade on, she took to the stage once more, signing up to do a Las Vegas residency in 2012.

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