Kimberly Williams Paisley and Brad Paisley. Jason Kempin/Getty Images
Kimberly Williams-Paisley is grateful she had husband Brad Paisley by her side as she weathered a private health battle that left her feeling “invisible.”
Williams-Paisley, 53, opened up about her road to recovery in an interview with People published on Wednesday, December 18, revealing she “felt trapped in my own body” while struggling with severe voice loss.
The trouble started in fall 2022 when Williams-Paisley noticed she couldn’t speak.
“It was terrifying. I went to self-blame,” the Father of the Bride actress recalled. “‘I’m not breathing properly, I’m not relying on my vocal training.’ I was beating myself up.”
Paisley, 52, supported his wife as she looked for answers. “I’d give her advice. ‘Do this vocal warm-up with me,’” he told the outlet. “I stepped in[to] it so much!” Williams-Paisley, however, was more grateful for how he lightened the mood, adding, “He’s so good at keeping me laughing. That’s a gift.”
During her health battle, Williams-Paisley was at her “most vulnerable” with Paisley and their sons: William, 17, and Jasper, 15. “They were great cheerleaders for me,” she noted. “To see them embracing me made me feel less alone.”
Williams-Paisley first opened up about her struggles in August after undergoing vocal cord surgery to correct a partial paralysis of her left vocal cord.
Brad Paisley and Kimberly Williams Paisley. Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images for The Michael J. Fox Foundation
“I’ve been going through a thing. 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. It’s been a challenging couple of years, but we finally got to the bottom of it,” she wrote via Instagram. “I have damage to my laryngeal nerve. I was finally able to have surgery this week at @vanderbilthealth with expert surgeons, & it is sounding so much better!! I have a badass scar that’s smiling at me across my neck.”
At the time, Williams-Paisley admitted she was hesitant about addressing her health publicly, adding, “I’ve been through shame & self-loathing, all kinds of training, breathing techniques, & braces & healing & laughing & crying & explaining. I’ve met many amazing helpers along the way who’ve become amazing friends & I’m feeling SO GRATEFUL.”
Throughout her roller-coaster journey, Williams-Paisley came to some positive realizations.
“THE OTHER GOOD NEWS: In the last two years, I’ve found power in using my voice in new ways. I’ve healed old emotional wounds,” she continued. “I’ve learned the strength & beauty of silence. I’ve become a serious meditator. I’m deadlifting over a hundred pounds. I’m taking better care of my body. I’m managing stress. I’m dissolving shame. I’m feeling more whole, empowered & joyful.”
Before realizing she needed surgery and being diagnosed with muscle tension dysphonia, Williams-Paisley consulted a voice coach and tried acupuncture and massage to soothe her vocal cords. She also explored antidepressants, Invisalign braces, a vegan diet, hypnosis, a psychic and an astrologer — but nothing helped.
“[There were] 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,” she told People. “There were days when I grieved and sobbed. I wondered, ‘Who am I without my voice?’”
Two years after it inexplicably disappeared, Williams-Paisley isn’t shying away from making her voice heard.
“Now, no matter what my physical voice is, my voice underneath is stronger. I feel more confident. I know myself better,” she shared. “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. And I’ve learned that when you talk quieter, people lean in, which is not bad either.”
She concluded: “I feel empowered now. I don’t want to leave things unsaid. I never want to take my voice for granted — and I want to be brave in using it.”
