Celine Dion’s Hopes for a ‘Miracle’: ‘She’s Working Hard Every Day to Come Back and Sing’
Walking onto stage on the arm of her eldest son to announce Taylor Swift as this year’s album of the year award winner — 27 years after she herself took home the top prize — Céline Dion was overcome with emotion when the audience inside L.A.’s Crypto.com Arena welcomed her with a standing ovation ?February 4.
“It was very nerve-racking, but at the same time, a big honor,” she told Vogue France of the surprise appearance, one of just a few times she’s been seen in public since revealing a health crisis in December 2022. “That magic. That excitement. To see the fans, to see the crowd. To see show business again.”
The moment was bittersweet. More than a year after announcing her health issues were due to stiff person syndrome, a rare and incurable neurological and autoimmune condition that causes severe muscle spasms and stiffening in the limbs — and, in Céline’s case, issues with her vocal cords — she’s in the fight of her life. Her struggle is something she swore she’d never talk about, but sharing it has allowed her to connect with her beloved fans.
“It’s the only way she can let fans in,” an insider tells Life & Style.
After canceling her world tour, her future as a performer remains uncertain.
“My body will tell me,” the 56-year-old told the publication. “People who suffer from SPS may not be lucky enough or have the means to have good doctors and good treatments. I have those means, and this is a gift. What’s more, I have this strength within me. I know that nothing is going to stop me.”
Celine Dion's Agonizing Rehab and Treatment
She’s been working hard to improve her body and her mind.
“Five days a week I undergo athletic, physical and vocal therapy. I work on my toes, my knees, my calves, my fingers, my singing, my voice,” the Canada native revealed, adding that she must “learn to live” with the debilitating condition. Not that she’s given up, she said, “I hope that we’ll find a miracle, a way to cure it with scientific research.”
Resisting negativity is a huge component of her approach to battling the disease, which affects fewer than 5,000 people in the U.S.
“She’s putting on a brave front and doing her best to stay upbeat because she believes a positive attitude toward adversity is the key to a happy life,” a source tells Life & Style. “She may not overcome SPS, but she’s learned to accept it.”
As her diagnosis sunk in, the singer realized she had a choice to make.
“Either I train like an athlete and work super hard, or I switch off and it’s over, I stay at home, listen to my songs, stand in front of my mirror and sing to myself,” she said. “I’ve chosen to work with all my body and soul, from head to toe, with a medical team. I want to be the best I can be.”
She admits she’s had her dark days.
“At the beginning I would ask myself: Why me? How did this happen? What have I done? Is this my fault?” the five-time Grammy winner confessed. “Life doesn’t give you any answers. You just have to live it! I have this illness for some unknown reason.”
In those early months — and especially once a devastated Céline realized she would have to cancel her world tour — “she beat herself up a lot,” says the source. “But she knows she has so much to be thankful for. And she’s just grateful she’s able to tell her story.”
In an effort to reach her fans, Céline has chosen to chronicle what life is like living with SPS and invited cameras into her world to capture the highs and lows of her experience. In June, Prime Video will debut more than a year’s worth of footage in the new documentary I Am: Céline Dion. Her sit-down with Vogue France was likely Céline’s final interview before it airs.
“She wants her fans to know how she’s doing and that she’s working hard every day to come back and sing for them,” says the source.
Celine Dion's Big Childhood Dreams
Growing up poor, the youngest of 14 children, in Quebec, Céline knew she wanted to perform from age 5. By 12, she had met the man who would change her life, music manager René Angélil. They would wed in 1994 (he died at 73 in 2016).
“I didn’t have much time to experience life as a teenager,” she told Vogue. “There was no school, I had no friends. I had the stage and my family.”
Now worth a whopping $480 million, she’s planning to tick off some items that are on her bucket list: “My goal is to see the Eiffel Tower again!”
Until then, Céline is content living in Las Vegas with sons René-Charles, 23, and 13-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy in the same home she bought for $5 million in 2003, the year she launched her wildly successful Vegas residency, with René.
According to the insider, in the wake of René’s death, she built a megamansion across town from the property, “but after it was done, she took one look at it and sold it, realizing she wanted to stay in the house she shared with René and give the kids some normalcy during this crazy time.”
Celine Dion Is Dedicated to Her Family
The “My Heart Will Go On” singer is devoted to her boys.
“They’re huge hockey fans and love to support the Vegas Golden Knights NHL team and watch their games on TV,” says the insider, noting that Céline and her kids have even attended two games in recent months as she’s gained strength. Aside from family, “Céline has also surrounded herself with the same small circle of people in Las Vegas she’s known for quite some time,” says the insider. “René was always very selective about the people they let into their lives, and that group has not changed much since he died.”
She doesn’t want to waste time worrying about inevitable setbacks.
“My dream is to live in the present,” Céline said, explaining that she “feels strong and positive about the future.”
Of course, she won’t stop wishing she’ll be able to sing for her fans again.
“She doesn’t know when and she’s not making any promises,” says the source, “but she’s willing herself to think it will happen at least one more time.”
