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CÉLINE DION: The Brave Journey of the Star Singer

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More openly than ever, Céline Dion talks about her serious illness and announces a comeback on stage.

It’s the song of her life, literally: “I’m Alive.” And that’s exactly what Céline Dion, 56, wants to convey to the world now. Things are looking up, albeit slowly. For the first time, the singer speaks about her fate, two years after she made her incurable neurological condition public. “I wasn’t ready to talk about it before, but now I am.”

Céline Dion had a tough fight for her happiness

In an interview with the US “Today Show,” it becomes clear how much the illness has affected her – and continues to do so today. The Canadian singer visibly struggles to form sentences. The autoimmune condition, Stiff-Person Syndrome, also affects her facial nerves and speech. Yet Céline wants to return to the spotlight – to share her story and announce a comeback on stage.

Only now is it clear how hard she had to fight for this. Dion has been confronting the illness for many years. The first signs that something was wrong appeared during her “Taking Chances” tour in Germany in 2008. “My voice suddenly went high, I couldn’t control it,” recalls the five-time Grammy winner.

Céline Dion: “I was brave, but not very smart”

“It felt like someone was strangling me.” This went on for years. The symptoms worsened. Doctors couldn’t properly diagnose her complaints, often attributing them to sinus or tonsil infections. She tried to ignore the symptoms.

“I was living a lie, I wanted to be a hero,” she explains. “I was brave, but not very smart.” She simply didn’t want to show weakness, because in addition to her around 70 concerts in Las Vegas, she had to take care of her three children – and her husband René Angélil, who was battling esophageal cancer. “I was an entertainer, mother, and nurse all in one,” said the singer in another interview with the Canadian TV channel CBC.

Céline Dion: “I had seizures where my ribs were broken”

When her husband passed away in 2016, she became even tougher on herself. “My children shouldn’t be scared, they had already lost one parent.” She wanted to provide them with stability, help them through their grief, be invincible. Today, she doesn’t know how she managed it. A few days after her husband’s death, one of her brothers also passed away. Dion’s world collapsed. Her voice failed because muscle spasms shook her. She could barely stand. “I had seizures where my ribs were broken,” she says now.

But on stage, everything seemed normal. “We omitted a few songs or selected ones where I didn’t have to go too deep.” She didn’t want to show any weakness, not disappoint her fans. “They gave me this life,” Dion says. That’s also why she’s now speaking her mind about everything. In 2019, the singer appeared more delicate than ever in extravagant outfits at the Paris fashion shows – also to prove to herself that everything was okay.

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Céline Dion had to prepare herself and her family for the worst-case scenario

The opposite was true: Her seizures became more serious. Her throat would tighten, making it difficult for her to eat. When doctors finally made the correct diagnosis, Céline Dion was relieved. In 2022, she announced on Instagram that she would withdraw to focus fully on her health. But her toughest battle was still ahead. The brutally honest Amazon Prime documentary “I Am Céline Dion” (starting June 25) reveals how bad the singer’s last two years have been.

A film crew followed her daily life with the illness. You can see her working with a physiotherapist, trying to move her legs and toes while enduring great pain. Often, she has to rest on the couch because the medication relaxing her muscles leaves her exhausted. “I was taking up to 90 milligrams of Valium per day, which can stop your breathing,” explains Dion. Some seizures were critical: “I was close to death. How could I explain that to my children?” By now, her sons, René-Charles, 23, and twins Eddy and Nelson, 13, know what to do in case of an emergency. “We have panic buttons in the house, and one of them calls for help.”

The most important thing for her now: knowing how to manage the illness. “I was in a black hole, but now I see the light,” says the singer. “I will sing again, even if I have to crawl onto the stage!” She fights for this every day. But no longer alone – now with her children, siblings, doctors, and therapists. She has freed herself from the heaviest burden of all – silence.

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