Shania Twain has faced many challenges throughout her battle with Lyme disease. In a recent interview with the British talk show Loose Women, the country star opened up about some of those difficult moments, revealing that she, at one point feared she might lose her voice.
"There was a long time when I thought I would never sing again," Twain said. "It took years to get to the bottom of what was affecting my voice, and, I would say, a good seven years before a doctor was able to find out if it was nerve damage to my vocal cords directly caused by Lyme disease. I was simply out horse riding in the forest and got bit by a tick, a Lyme tick."
The country superstar went on to explain how she'd avoid certain situations in order to protect her voice.
"You start avoiding speaking on the phone, you start avoiding going to places that have ambient noise where you have to speak over the volume of others. It's very debilitating," she shared. "Our voice is such a huge part of our self-expression. For a vocalist, a singer... it's devastating in so many ways."
Twain contracted Lyme disease in 2003. The bacterial infection can spark a wide range of symptoms including muscle and joint aches, swollen lymph nodes and chills according to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.
Throughout her fight against the infection, Twain thought her singing days were behind her. She explained, "Until I got to the bottom of why I was having a problem with my voice, there wasn't really much I could do about it."
"So it took a long time. I did believe that I would probably have to accept at some point that I was never going to sing again," she continued, adding, "Thankfully I persevered, and I'm making records again and putting on concerts."
Twain underwent an open-throat surgery, to help "stabilize the weakness in the vocal chord function." She described the procedure as "very scary," and went on to note that her voice is different now.
"My voice has changed. My speaking voice is definitely the biggest effort. Sometimes I get a bit raspy… singing is actually easier," she said. "I have more power when I'm singing now. I have more character, I find. I enjoy singing again. Speaking is the more difficult challenge for me than singing, which, 'Okay, I'll take that!'"
"Once I was into recovery I was feeling optimistic all of a sudden and feeling better about it. It's been a long road," she continued. "And I have had to rediscover my voice as well and also accept that it will never be the same. But I love my new voice, I am grateful."
Photo: Getty Images