Elliott, 39, had been absent from the spotlight. The reason, she explains, has been her private battle with Graves' Disease, an autoimmune illness that affects the thyroid.
"I was [driving and] trying to put my foot on the brake, but my leg was jumping," she recalled. "I couldn't keep the brake down and almost crashed. I couldn't write because my nervous system was so bad -- I couldn't even use a pen."
Unfortunately, as of yet, there is no cure for Graves' disease, but if caught early, as in Elliot's case, it can be maintained so that the carrier can live as close to a normal life as possible -- though the health of those with the disease can deteriorate over time.
"I'm 30 pounds lighter because I've been exercising," she explained. "My thyroid is functioning, so I haven't had to take medication in about nine months. [But] you live with it for the rest of your life."
And Eliott isn't letting her health hold her back, she recently announced that she will produce a comeback album with the help of Timbaland.
