Celine Dion’s health has been monitored closely by fans who love her, and now the superstar has an update.
In a shocking announcement, Celine is returning to the spotlight, not only as a means to “continue” her career, but to shed light on her life with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS). A new documentary will debut in the 2024 summer season and for the first time, people will see the real struggles she’s been facing.
Until then, Celine decided to let her fans in on how she’s doing on her own terms.
Celine Dion, during one of her last performances, in 2019. ((Photo by Rich Fury/Getty Images for NARAS))
Celine Poses For Vogue Magazine & Reveals She’s Yet To ‘Beat’ Her Disease
Céline Dion made a big comeback on the cover of the May 2024 issue of Vogue France. The sexy cover shoot and intimate interview came just 2 months after she made a surprise appearance at the Grammys. It also comes just ahead of the debut of her new documentary, sharing her unfiltered struggle with SPS.
And the struggle is real.
“I haven’t beat the disease,” Celine shared in the Vogue interview. “It’s still within me and always will be. I hope that we’ll find a miracle, a way to cure it with scientific research, but for now I have to learn to live with it.”
Living with it entails undergoing “athletic, physical and vocal therapy” no less that 5 times a week. She works on everything from the movement for her fingers to controlling her voice. She a woman as vivacious as Celine, the diagnosis was a huge shock.
“At the beginning I would ask myself: why me? How did this happen? What have I done? Is this my fault?” she admitted. However, it sounds like now, she has a bit more perspective.
“Life doesn’t give you any answers,” she added. “I have this illness for some unknown reason. The way I see it, I have two choices. 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. 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.”
We’d expect nothing less!
Celine Dion Health Update: The Journey Has Been A ‘Challenge’
“This last couple of years has been such a challenge for me, the journey from discovering my condition to learning how to live with and manage it, but not to let it define me,” said Celine explained she announced the release of a new documentary about her life. .
The film, which will be released on Amazon Prime in June 2024, will show just how this disease has affected her over the last few years.
The feature-length documentary, titled I Am: Celine Dion is described as being a “snapshot of a pivotal time in the life and career of one of the most recognized, respected, and successful performers in pop music history, Celine Dion.”
Celine Dion poses in the press room during the 2017 Billboard Music Awards ((Photo by David Becker/Getty Images))
More importantly, the documentary will show, for the first time, Celine’s day-to-day life dealing with SPS.
“I decided I wanted to document this part of my life, to try to raise awareness of this little-known condition, to help others who share this diagnosis,” Celine shared in the press release.
Celine Dion: Will She Ever Perform Again?
Part of the journey captured in this documentary is Celine’s determination to return to the show-stopping life she had before, in whatever way that will make sense for her.
“As the road to resuming my performing career continues, I have realized how much I have missed it, of being able to see my fans,” Celine confessed in the press release .
Celine Dion performs during “One World: Together At Home” presented by Global Citizen on April, 18, 2020. ((Photo by Getty Images/Getty Images for Global Citizen ))
It’s been nearly five years since Celine has performed live. Her last time in front of a crowd was the BST concert in Hyde Park on July 5, 2019.
Indeed, Celine has rarely been seen out in public since the announcement of her diagnosis. Most recently, she was spotted back in Las Vegas, home of her record-breaking residency for many years, catching Katy Perry’s show.
Celine Dion Documentary: Where To Watch, Release Date, & More
According to the official press release, Amazon Video along with Sony Music Vision, in partnership with Sony Music Entertainment Canada and Vermilion Films, are producing the film.
It will be available to stream on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.
Celine Dion at the 2013 Billboard Music Awards (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images))
The Prime Video release date will be June 25, 2024 .
“Celine Dion is a global megastar with a career defined not only by her extraordinary work ethic and passion, but by her dedication to her fans,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios.
“This documentary is a raw, intimate portrayal of a pivotal time in her personal life and career, pulling back the curtain on her journey as she overcomes an unthinkable diagnosis. It’s an honor to be trusted with her story, and we can’t wait to share it with Prime Video audiences around the world.”
Celine Dion’s Disease – What Is Stiff-Person Syndrome?
In December 2022, the performer announced her diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome, an autoimmune disorder of the nervous system. The Mayo Clinic explains that the neurological disorder manifests itself with “progressive, severe muscle stiffness and spasms of the lower extremities and back.”
((Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images))
“I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to reach out to you,” Celine said in an Instagram video at the time. “I miss you all so much and I can’t wait to be on stage talking to you in person. As you know, I’ve always been an open book and I wasn’t ready to say anything before. But I’m ready now.”
“I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time and it’s been really difficult for me to face these challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through. Recently, I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called stiff person syndrome, which affects something like one in a million people.”
While her sister Claudette was more somber speaking to reporters in December, earlier in the year, she reminded fans of just how tough her sister is. Speaking with a local news outlet in Canada about her sister’s health, as reported by Marca, in January of 2023, she said, “I am confident that life will give her back what she gave because she is an extremely intelligent woman, very generous and talented and in love with life as well.”
