Los Angeles, Mar 8 (IANS): Singer Shania Twain says her battle with Lyme disease has been "devastating". She says due to it, she is never going to have her old voice back but she is okay with that.

She got the tick-borne illness in 2003, and had to undergo open-throat surgery after her voice was damaged by the effects of dysphonia as a result of the disease. Now, Shania has said she "mourned" the loss of her voice, reports dailymail.co.uk.

"It was devastating. I felt I had no other choice but to just accept it -- in that I would never sing again. I was mourning the expression of my voice," said the "From this moment on" hitmaker.

After taking some time away from the spotlight to recover, Shania made her music comeback in 2017, with a new gravelly tone to her voice, which she now believes is "kinda sexy".

Speaking in a preview clip for an upcoming interview, she said: "I'm never going to have my old voice again. I'm okay with that. I've found a new voice and I like it. (It's) kinda sexy."

Meanwhile, the 54-year-old recently spoke about needing to "rediscover" her voice following her series of surgeries.