Justin Bieber reveals 'serious' health condition causing face paralysis
Justin Bieber has opened up about his health after cancelling two concerts in Toronto earlier this week saying he's been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a virus that has left him with a form of facial paralysis.
The pop superstar was scheduled to perform at the Scotiabank Arena in downtown Toronto on Tuesday and Wednesday but made the last-minute decision to postpone the shows due to what he described at the time as a “sickness.”
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
On Friday, Bieber posted a video to Instagram detailing the extent of his symptoms, in which the right side of his face is visibly paralyzed.
“As you can see, this eye is not blinking,” he said on Instagram. “I can’t smile on this side of my face…there’s full paralysis in the centre of my face.”
READ MORE: What is Ramsay Hunt syndrome? Justin Bieber's diagnosis explained
“So for those frustrated by my cancellations of the next shows, I’m just physically, obviously, incapable of doing them.”
He said that his body is telling him to “slow down” and that he hopes fans understand.
“This is pretty serious as you can see. I wish this wasn’t the case,” he said.
Justin Bieber has announced he has been diagnosed with Ramsay Hunt syndrome. (Instagram/Justin Bieber)
“It’s time to just rest and relax and get back to 100 per cent, so that I can do what I was born to do.”
The artist says he is doing facial exercises to help with the paralysis, but he is unsure how long it will take for him to heal.
Canadian former politician Olivia Chow was diagnosed with the same virus back in 2013, which left her with limited movement on one side of her face.
Bieber’s June 10 concert in Washington has also been cancelled. There are no other Canadian stops scheduled in his 2022 World Tour and it’s unclear if any of his other future performances will be postponed.
Scotiabank Arena has previously said that tickets for the cancelled Toronto shows would be honoured when the dates are rescheduled.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police arrest Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides
Police have arrested a Toronto woman in connection with three recent homicides and investigators say that they believe two of the victims may have been 'randomly targeted.'
NDP house leader says House dysfunction will be a factor in future confidence votes
NDP House leader Peter Julian says there's more his party wants to do in Parliament before the next election, but if the current dysfunction continues it will become a factor in how they vote on a confidence measure.
Former Colorado county clerk Tina Peters sentenced to 9 years for voting data scheme
A judge ripped into a Colorado county clerk for her crimes and lies before sentencing her Thursday to nine years behind bars for a data-breach scheme spawned from the rampant false claims about voting machine fraud in the 2020 presidential race.
Youth pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of P.E.I. teen Tyson MacDonald
A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.
BREAKING Jury begins deliberations in Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial
The jury tasked with determining if Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard sexually assaulted a young woman in northeastern Ontario eight years ago began deliberating Friday after nearly two weeks of testimony that saw the singer and his accuser give starkly different accounts of what happened.
BREAKING Here's what the jury didn't hear in Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial
A northeastern Ontario jury has started deliberating in Canadian musician Jacob Hoggard's sexual assault trial, we can now tell you what they weren't allowed to hear.
Canadian family stuck in Lebanon anxiously awaits flight options amid Israeli strikes
A Canadian man who is trapped in Lebanon with his family says they are anxiously waiting for seats on a flight out of the country, as a barrage of Israeli airstrikes continues.
Yazidi woman captured by ISIS rescued in Gaza after more than a decade in captivity
A 21-year-old Yazidi woman has been rescued from Gaza where she had been held captive by Hamas for years after being trafficked by ISIS.
Airlines' challenge of Canada's passenger protection rules rejected by Supreme Court
Canada's airlines have failed in their challenge of air passenger protection rules that the federal government implemented in 2019.