Celine Dion recalls ‘hardest experience of my life’ as she vows to return to stage after health diagnosis
Celine Dion has opened up on the “hardest experiences of my life” after making it her mission to make it back onto the stage doing what she loves.
The autoimmune and neurological disorder leads to rigidiness and spasms in the torso and limbs of the person diagnosed.
The My Heart Will Go On singer revealed she had been diagnosed with the disorder in the Autumn of 2022 and noted that it “affects something like one in a million people.”
Dion recently posted an image alongside her three songs to raise awareness for stiff-person syndrome – for which there is no current cure – and thanked her fans for their continued love and support.
She captioned the post: “Trying to overcome this autoimmune disorder has been one of the hardest experiences of my life, but I remain determined to one day get back onto the stage and to live as normal of a life as possible.
“I am deeply grateful for the love and support from my kids, family, team and all of you! I want to send my encouragement and support to all those around the world that have been affected by SPS.
“I want you to know you can do it! We can do it!” she signed off.
Her diagnosis has forced the star to postpone some of her performances and eventually led her to cancelling her 2024 Courage World Tour due to health issues.
At the time of announcing the news, she explained: “I’m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again. I’m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you’re 100 per cent.
“It’s not fair to you to keep postponing the shows, and even though it breaks my heart, it’s best that we cancel everything until I’m really ready to be back on stage again.”
Dion has largely stayed away from publicity but recently took to the stage to present an award to Taylor Swift at the 2024 Grammy’s.
Last year, Dion’s sister Claudette was interviewed for the French-Canadian publication 7 Jours, where she was asked if the popstar would ever be able to return to the stage.
“It’s true that, in both our dreams and hers, the goal is to return to the stage. In what capacity? I don’t know.
“The vocal cords are muscles, and the heart is also a muscle. This is what comes to get me. Because [Dion’s condition is a] one-out-of-a-million case, the scientists haven’t done that much research because it didn’t affect that many people.”
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A source told Woman’s Health that the 55-year-old has “good and bad days,” and is working on combatting her symptoms with the help of “lots of physical therapy and voice exercise.”
A second insider said that the star’s “dream is to perform on stage again, and she’s not giving up.”