LeAnn Rimes gave her fans an honest and unflinching update on her health, describing herself as “raw” in a candid Substack article published on Tuesday, May 12.
The country singer, 43, had to leave the road after postponing several concerts following a COVID-19 diagnosis that left her with vocal cord issues.
And in typical Rimes fashion, she didn’t sugarcoat anything.
“My throat, my esophagus, my heart…hell, I even have a blister on my heel,” she wrote. “Oh, and I’m on my period too. When it rains, it pours.”
Beyond the physical, Rimes described the experience as a kind of forced calculation.
“I feel like life has stripped me down and stripped me of everything at the moment,” she wrote.
“This whole illness has been incredibly humiliating. One minute you’re moving through your routines, checking boxes, dealing with what’s next…and the next moment your body is just saying, ‘No more.’ No powering up…no performing…don’t pretend you’re okay…just crud.
She is currently three days away from her next scheduled concert, but her voice is still recovering and her doctor has advised her to rest. It’s a situation she knows all too well.
“For over 30 years, one of the hardest decisions and one of the toughest inner battles I’ve faced every time I get sick and have shows scheduled is deciding whether to cancel/reschedule or perform, when I know full well that performing while still half-sick is not in my long-term best interest,” she explained.
In the past, the fear of disappointing his fans still forced him to go through with it. According to her, this is no longer the right approach.
“My health must come first, otherwise I risk real injury from singing to swollen and irritated tissue.”
What is striking about this message is that despite everything, Rimes does not seem defeated. Her energy is strong, her thinking is clear, and she describes being fully present to her emotions, no matter how uncomfortable.
“There’s no numbing, no muting, no escaping… just me, sitting in the middle of it all. And while it’s felt extremely uncomfortable at times, it’s also strangely sacred.”
There is also a family dimension that she mentioned, without going into detail.
A relative recently had a stroke and is now in rehab, she revealed, and she praised her husband Eddie Cibrian for holding things together during what is clearly an overwhelming time for them both.
“Seeing someone you love carry so much while you are barely able to carry yourself is a kind of heartbreak,” she wrote.
She closed the post with a direct message to fans who had tickets to the postponed shows, clarifying that the decision to postpone was not one she made lightly.
“Every fiber of me wants to express myself and show up and sing anyway,” she said.
“But at 43, I know that honoring my body instead of forgetting it is the wisest choice… for my voice, my health and ultimately for all of you too.”
