Kimberly Williams-Paisley was fighting “to be heard” for two years.
The 53-year-old actress, who is married to country star Brad Paisley, opened up about her life-changing diagnosis that left her unable to speak.
“I felt trapped in my own body,” Williams-Paisley told People. “There was so much shame involved. I felt invisible.”
Her inability to speak began in November 2022, when she attempted to welcome guests at an annual Alzheimer’s fundraiser that honored her mother who died in 2016 from dementia.
“I put the mic to my mouth, and nothing came out,” she detailed. “It was terrifying.”
This past August, the “Farmer Wants a Wife” host described her medical journey as “challenging,” as she underwent surgery to repair one of her vocal cords after she experienced difficulty with using her voice.
Williams-Paisley initially thought that she had only strained her voice, but her vocal weakness impacted her for weeks.
“I went to self-blame —‘I’m not breathing properly, I’m not relying on my vocal training,’” she added. “I was beating myself up.”
She said she experienced “Days when I didn’t want to do anything. Days when I was extra tired. Cycling anxiety thoughts in the middle of the night. I wouldn’t say I had clinical depression, but I was sad.”
The “According to Jim” actress discovered she was diagnosed with muscle tension dysphonia, as she had a partial paralysis of her left vocal cord.
Muscle tension dysphonia is a change in the sound or feel of your voice due to excessive muscle tension in and around the voice box, according to Johns Hopkins Medicine.
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While Williams-Paisley tried to treat her diagnosis, she said her voice did not return.
For a year, she practiced both traditional and unorthodox solutions, including “antidepressants, Invisalign braces, a vegan diet, hypnosis, a psychic — even an astrologer.”
She went on to say that she felt her acting career was in jeopardy or even done for good.
Despite Williams-Paisley’s husband and kids seeing the actress in her most “vulnerable” state, they were her biggest support system.
“I’d give her advice: ‘Do this vocal warm-up with me,’” the country music star said. “I stepped in it so much!”
“They were great cheerleaders for me. To see them embracing me made me feel less alone.”
The actress shares sons William and Jasper with Brad, whom she married in 2003.
Williams-Paisley revealed she is not fully recovered, but her voice is “much better.”
“I still can’t yell down the road. And at the end of a long day of talking, I’ll sound a little more raspy than I used to, but I think that’s sexy,'” she said. “And I’ve learned that when you talk quieter, people lean in, which is not bad either.”
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Earlier this year, the “Father of the Bride” star uploaded a slideshow to social media beginning with a selfie in which she was seen smiling as she laid in a hospital bed with a tube attached to the back of her neck. The next image featured a black background with the words “Trigger warning: SCAR (and bad artwork).”
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In the final photo, Williams-Paisley displayed a large scar on her neck. Over the image, her brother had drawn a face over the scar with a marker to make the scar appear to be a smile.
“I’ve been going through a thing,” she began her lengthy caption. “Almost two years ago I lost my voice on stage at my Alzheimer’s event in Nashville. It was embarrassing & scary & it never quite came back.”
Williams-Paisley additionally noted at the time that she had remained awake during her entire three-hour laryngoplasty, which was to “plump up my paralyzed vocal cord so it hits the other one.”
She remained in good spirits as she went through her tumultuous medical journey. She concluded her Instagram post at the time and wrote, “if you’re going through hell, don’t come out empty-handed. Was losing my voice worth it? Mm, not exactly. Was it worthless? Not for a second.”
While Williams-Paisley recovers from her vocal strain, she is slated to host the third season of Fox’s reality show, “Farmer Wants a Wife,” premiering March 20.
