The “Power of Love” songstress got candid in a new Harper’s Bazaar interview about her ongoing health battle.
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Céline Dion is opening up about the long and painful road to understanding her health struggles.
The “My Heart Will Go On” singer revealed that she experienced symptoms of stiff-person syndrome for 17 years before finally receiving a diagnosis in 2022, detailing how the rare neurological disorder quietly affected her life and career for nearly two decades.
Dion, 58, reflected on her yearslong health battle and ongoing recovery in a new interview with Harper’s Bazaar published Aug. 18, recounting how she pushed past the discomfort she’s felt putting her battle on display for fans.
“They paid for tickets. They bought my records. They gave me that luxury,” she said. “So the least I can do is tell them that I’m alive.”
Before doctors were able to determine what was wrong, Dion said she struggled to explain why she sometimes couldn’t perform and would instead attribute canceled shows to more familiar ailments such as sinus infections or a cough.
Behind the scenes, however, Dion was dealing with increasingly serious symptoms. At times, the pain became so debilitating that she could barely walk, according to the Harper’s Bazaar cover story, and she sometimes relied on high doses of Valium to function.
Dion’s symptoms became particularly severe around the COVID-19 pandemic, years before she was diagnosed and publicly revealed it.
In December 2022, Dion announced she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that can cause muscle stiffness and painful spasms.
“It is a progressive condition,” Dion told Harper’s Bazaar, though she said she doesn’t like referring to SPS as a “disease.”
The singer largely retreated from the public eye as her health deteriorated, and in May 2023 she ultimately decided to cancel her remaining 2023 and 2024 shows for the Courage World Tour.
Celine Dion details recovery amid stiff-person syndrome
Dion has undergone extensive treatment since her diagnosis, including medication, physical therapy, vocal therapy and immunotherapy, according to Harper’s Bazaar.
Her health battle was documented in the 2024 documentary “I Am: Céline Dion,” which offered an intimate look at the severity of her condition, including a painful episode in which Dion’s body became rigid and she was unable to move or communicate.
Dion told the outlet that putting such vulnerable moments of her life on display was uncomfortable, but she felt her fans deserved answers after decades of support.
“I love trees so much, and I had this vision of myself trying to disappear through the leaves,” Dion said in the interview. But in her vision, fall arrived and the leaves disappeared, leaving her exposed to fans who had come with baskets expecting the “apples” she could no longer provide.
“I was trying to tell them, ‘I’m sorry, I don’t have any apples to give you anymore.'” Dion recalled hearing a voice tell her: “But we did not come for the apples; we came for the tree.”
Now, the Grammy-winning singer is working to regain her strength and maintain control over her body. Her current fitness regimen includes 90-minute Pilates sessions three times a week and ballet twice a week as she prepares to return to the stage.
The singer is set to begin a five-week residency in Paris in September, marking a major return to performing after years of health struggles. Dion has made only a handful of public appearances in recent years, including a surprise performance at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“This year, I’m getting the best birthday gift of my life. I’m getting the chance to see you, to perform for you,” Dion said. “It’s been so long, I would like to offer them something to show how I’ve missed them.” After years of health struggles and uncertainty over her future as a performer, Dion said she is focused on embracing her life rather than questioning it.
“Instead of questioning life, can you live life?” Dion told the magazine. “So I’m living my life, girl. I’m living the life.”