Kimberly Williams-Paisley Details ‘Terrifying’ 2 Years She Couldn’t Speak Amid Debilitating Vocal Cord Condition

In a new cover story for PEOPLE, The Father of the Bride detailed nearly losing her speaking voice completely — only able to speak at a whisper — for two whole years as doctors worked to discover the underlying cause.

“I felt trapped in my own body,” Kimberly told PEOPLE. “There was so much shame involved. I felt invisible.”

The 53-year-old actress, who share sons Huck, 17, and Jasper, 15, with husband Brad Paisely, said that the difficulties with her voice began in the fall of 2022 after she found herself unable to speak while hosting an event alongside her sister Ashley Williams.

“I put the mic to my mouth, and nothing came out,” she remembered, calling it “terrifying.”

And at the premiere of her film Dog Gone in January 2023, she realized the noise on the carpet was too loud for her to do interviews.

“I sounded weak, and it’s not how I felt,” Kimberly explained. “I went into the bathroom and cried, and a couple of friends held my hand.”

As time went on, Kimberly’s confidence waned and her mental health took a hit, especially as she began to wonder if she had done something to cause the issue.

“Days when I didn’t want to do anything,” Kimberly recalled. “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.”

It took months of trial and error with a handful of treatments, including acupuncture and massage, before Kimberly paid a visit to the Vanderbilt Voice Center in early 2023, where she finally began to get some answers.

Doctors diagnosed Kimberly with muscle tension dysphonia after realizing her neck muscles were so tight, her vocal cords were almost invisible. A slew of medical appointments and experiments with holistic treatments then followed, including antidepressants, braces, a vegan diet, hypnosis and working with a psychic — but all to no avail.

And while she had the support of her kids and husband, Kimberly said she slowly started to retreat socially, as she struggled with her inability to properly communicate.

“I love dinner parties and being around people, but I didn’t want to go out,” she said. “I couldn’t be a part of the conversation. There were days when I grieved and sobbed. I wondered, ‘Who am I without my voice?'”

It wasn’t till over a year into doctors visits and vocal therapy that Kimberly discovered the root cause of her disappearing voice: her left vocal cord was paralyzed, meaning it wasn’t meeting the right.

“Once I got that diagnosis, my body could relax in a whole new way,” Kimberly recounted. “The shame and blame dissipated. It was largely a technical issue, not something I did wrong.”

After receiving the diagnosis, Kimberly underwent surgery in August, and her voice came back almost immediately.

“I couldn’t believe it was true,” the According to Jim alum added. “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.”

Looking back at the ordeal, Kimberly said she’s able to acknowledge the ways in which reconnecting with her physical voice helped her metaphorical voice, too.

“I had to fight to be heard,” Kimberly explained. “Now, no matter what my physical voice is, my voice underneath is stronger. I feel more confident. I know myself better.”

“I feel empowered now,” she added. “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.”