Céline Dion is opening up about her health battle with stiff-person syndrome and the work she is doing to prepare for her return to the stage in Paris.
In a Harper’s Bazaar cover story, published on Tuesday, the Grammy-winning singer, 58, said she experienced symptoms of the condition 17 years before her diagnosis in August 2022.
Stiff-person syndrome (SPA) is a rare neurological disorder that may include symptoms such as stiff muscles in the torso, arms and legs and greater sensitivity to noise, touch and emotional distress, which can set off muscle spasms, according to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
The cause of SPS, an extremely rare disease, is still unknown, according to Yale Medicine, “but researchers suspect that it may be the result of an autoimmune reaction where the body attacks nerve cells in the central nervous system that control muscle movement.”
While there is no cure for SPS, when doctors treat patients with this condition, Yale Medicine says they focus on managing the symptoms with medications “such as sedatives, muscle relaxants, and steroids.”
The My Heart Will Go On singer said that she was in so much pain at times that she struggled to walk and would take a high dose of Valium to “function.”
“It is a progressive condition. I don’t like to say ‘disease.’ Disease makes you go like this,” she told the publication, scrunching her nose and referencing a quote from the movie Home Alone. “‘Kevin, you’re such a disease.'”
Following Dion’s diagnosis, the outlet says that the It’s All Coming Back to Me Now singer committed to “intense rehabilitation: new meds, physical therapy, vocal therapy, immunotherapy.”
Dion reflected on her ongoing recovery in the interview and spoke about her upcoming Paris shows, taking place on Sept. 18, Sept. 25, Oct. 2, Oct. 9, Oct. 16 and Oct. 17.
She has only performed once in the past six years at the 2024 Paris Olympics, performing Édith Piaf’s Hymne A L’Amour from the Eiffel Tower.
“It’s been so long, I would like to offer them something to show how I’ve missed them,” Dion said of her fans.
“They paid for tickets,” she added. “They bought my records. They gave me that luxury. So the least I can do is tell them that I’m alive.”
Harper’s Bazaar shared details about the singer’s 90-minute Pilates sessions three times a week and ballet classes with a local company two days a week in order to prepare for the upcoming shows.
Dion describes this period of her life as “falling and getting back up repeatedly.”
Annie Horth, Dion’s head of wardrobe and creative adviser, said that Dion fans can expect something “grandiose” from the upcoming shows.
