Shania Twain says having surgery to treat Lyme disease has changed her voice forever.
Shania Twain
The 52-year-old star was diagnosed with the condition in 2003 and she's now revealed the extent to which it's altered her life, explaining how the treatment has left her with a permanent scar on her neck.
Shania - who retired from performing in 2004, before recently making a comeback to the music scene - shared: "Does my voice sound deeper? It does, though, doesn't it?"
At the time of her diagnosis, the Canadian star feared she'd never be able to sing again.
However, Shania admitted she was lucky that her condition was diagnosed and treated so quickly.
She told the Sunday Mirror newspaper: "I thought I'd never sing again ... It was nerve damage from Lyme disease. I saw a tick fall off me and I got treated right away, otherwise the damage would have been a lot more extensive.
"I was on tour, and I almost fell off the stage every night because I was so dizzy. I felt lucky when I found out the cause, because the disease can go to your brain or heart."
Ultimately, Shania took a 15-year break from the music business.
But she actually decided to launch a comeback seven years into her hiatus.
The 'Man! I Feel Like a Woman!' hitmaker confessed: "I started writing more intently and I realised that some parts of my voice were still there. It's been a long process, and now surgery."
Shania launched her comeback album 'Now' in 2017, and she's admitted to relishing the experience of making music again, describing the songwriting process as being "like a diary entry".
Reflecting on her return to the business, she said: "Songwriting is like a diary entry, though sometimes I listen back and think, 'Oh my God, that's way too personal...'"
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