Shania Twain reveals this condition nearly ended her career in new Netflix documentary

Not Just a Girl is now available to watch on the streaming site

Shania Twain
(Image credit: Andreas Rentz / Staff)

Shania Twain has revealed that a disease she suffered from could have had a detrimental impact on her career.

The singer, whose career has spanned 25 years, reveals in her new Netflix documentary Not Just a Girl, that nearly 20 years ago she picked up a disease which affected her ability to sing.

The country singer turned pop star, explores her career and personal life in the exciting new documentary - while it also shows unseen footage from her tours and life back in the 90s and early noughties.  

The That Don't Impress Me Much singer, explains in the documentary how she was bitten by a tick in 2003, "The tick was infected with Lyme's Disease, and I did get Lyme's Disease and my symptoms were quite scary."

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

The singer, who stars in the Netflix show Not Just a Girl, which also delves into singer's epic career and turbulent relationships, went on to reveal, "I learned that if I could get my voice into a certain place, with a lot of effort, it would sustain for at least long enough to do a great vocal."

Despite her record label telling her she would be 'hated by women' for this reason, basically, because she was opinionated and had a voice, the singer ignored them and went on to become a huge success.

Shania's first hit single was You're Still The One, which she released in 1997, while other songs such as Man! I Feel Like A Woman, went on to cement her success - seeing her tour the world and sell over 100 million records.

Fans can expect Shania herself to open up about her childhood in Timmins, Ontario, her marriage and eventual divorce from producer Robert "Mutt" Lange, her second marriage to Frédéric Thiébaud and her studio work.

Celebrities, including Lionel Richie, Diplo and Avril Lavign also appear in the show,  discussing the ways in which Shania changed country music by targeting fans of pop music as well.

Sarah Finley

Sarah is a freelance journalist - writing about the royals and celebrities for Woman & Home, fitness and beauty for the Evening Standard and how the world of work has changed due to the pandemic for the BBC. 

 

She also covers a variety of other subjects and loves interviewing leaders and innovators in the beauty, travel and wellness worlds for numerous UK and overseas publications. 

 

As a journalist, she has written thousands of profile pieces - interviewing CEOs, real-life case studies and celebrities - interviewing everyone from Emma Bunton to the founder of Headspace.