LeAnn Rimes Opens Up About Health Struggles And Embracing A New Era of Freedom

Over the course of LeAnn Rimes’ 30 years in the music business, she has encountered many different versions of herself. The songstress is now in a place where she feels comfortable enough to open up about health struggles that impacted her life, the support system that got her through it and the new, healthier era she has stepped into.

Rimes no longer hides behind her struggles with anxiety, depression, psoriasis and perimenopause. By sharing her journey with these various illnesses, she tells Us Weekly about her desire to hopefully be able to help anyone else who might be battling their own struggles in silence.  

“I remember when I posted the picture of me with psoriasis all over me [in 2020], and it was such a moment of relief because I had been hiding that for so long. The same with my mental health and now with perimenopause. Every time I talk about it, I set myself — and someone else — free.”

She continues, “For so long, it did feel like I was hiding so much of myself. It did allow for the insecurity of thoughts I’ve had in the past about ‘I’m not pretty, I’m not good enough.’ I did learn how to love myself through all of my different incarnations.”

Through efforts such as physical therapy, research, finding the right doctors and a lot of reflection, Rimes can confidently say now that she has the tools to look forward with optimism.

“Looking back at all of those different people I was, I know that next year I’ll be different from who I am now. I hope I am,” she admitted. “I’m aware of getting the chance to love all of the aspects of myself. Some of those are harder to love, but I now have the bandwidth and capacity. I can talk to myself in a kinder way.”

Rimes says that after taking the time to prioritize her physical health, she is feeling “great,” despite the occasional off day when she is “hormonally challenged” due to perimenopause. Some of her treatments include Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) to help with “intrusive thoughts,” detoxing her body and working on grounding exercises and breathing exercises after a long day’s work.

Plus, she has had her husband Eddie Cibrian acting as her strongest support system through all the bad days.

“He’s keeping a sense of humor in this massive transition when his wife is becoming a different person. Just having that levity is super helpful because I’m not one to joke about it. He pulls me back out of it into this lighter realm.”

This current era of LeAnn Rimes at 43 years old is centered around freedom and exploration, which for her, means embracing creativity, taking control of her well-being, and confronting challenges without hesitation.

“I’ve always been one where as soon as somebody tries to fit me into a box, I break out of it in every way possible,” she tells the outlet. “I’m still in that era and forever will be — probably even more so now. I’ve done this for so long that I’m lucky enough to get to choose what roles I want to play, what songs I want to sing.”

Along with embracing her creativity through music, Rimes has also stepped into a new role as the character Dixie Bennings on the new ABC series 9-1-1: Nashville, premiering on Thursday, October 9. 

Of her new role, Rimes says, “I get to let out a side of myself that doesn’t ever come out in real life, so it’s very healing in that way. It was definitely a stretch for me. Dixie is obsessed with her son. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for her son as a single mom. But she definitely feels like she’s been slighted in life. She will go to every extreme in order to get what she feels like she’s owed — including manipulating his love.”

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Rimes also hinted that she’ll sing in the show while playing an aspiring artist trying to navigate how music fits into her life. Portraying this role has given Rimes a chance to reflect on her own path in music and in doing so was reminded of what a gift it is to be able to create and share her music.

“The best gift I’ve ever been given is to be an artist,” the “What Mattered Most” singer added. “To have been as successful as I’ve been for as long as I’ve been, I don’t take that for granted.”

Fans will be able to catch LeAnn Rimes both on TV and on the road, with performances scheduled through March of 2026.