Glastonbury headliner Shania Twain says her voice has changed forever after ‘devastating’ diagnosis

Shania Twain spoke about her emotional return to the stage after her battle with Lyme disease, which resulted in open neck surgery that she had to undergo while fully conscious.

The 58-year-old country icon graced the Pyramid Stage at Glastonbury Festival on Sunday afternoon for the coveted Legends slot and wowed fans with her performance. However, there was a time when Shania feared she might never sing again.

After a tick bite, she suffered from frightening symptoms that led to fainting spells during performances. She was later diagnosed with Lyme disease.

In her Netflix documentary “Not Just a Girl,” Shania shared the harrowing details of how her voice was irreversibly changed by the disease. “My symptoms were pretty scary because before the diagnosis I was always very dizzy on stage,” she revealed.

“I lost my balance, I was afraid of falling off the stage… I had these very, very, very millisecond blackouts, but regularly, every minute or every 30 seconds.” She continued, expressing the fear that gripped her: “My voice was never the same again. I thought I had lost my voice forever. I thought that was it, (and) I would never sing again.”

Appearing on ITV’s Lorraine, Shania spoke about how grateful she felt to be able to sing and write songs again after such a traumatic experience. “It was quite depressing and devastating to think about it (not being able to sing again). Even speaking was difficult because of Lyme disease.”

“Now I’m just so grateful that I can sing and express myself. And this is my first album since my voice surgery.”

She said of the daunting medical procedure: “You have to be awake during it. I was more afraid of never being able to sing again than of getting through the operation. The reason you have to be awake during the operation is because you have to sing during it so they know exactly what to do.”

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