Jean-Philippe Dion was shocked by the documentary I am: Celine Dion, which the Prime Video platform will reveal on June 25. In this one, we see the Quebec star leading the fight of his life.
The host and producer spoke with her about one of the intense crises she had in front of the cameras of director Irene Taylor. A moving moment in the documentary, as the singer is, in a few moments, overcome by spasms and stiffness which make her writhe in pain.
PHOTO BY DENISE TRUSCELLO PROVIDED BY TVA
Every day, Celine Dion can experience a painful episode. “If overstimulated, whether it’s happiness, or unhappiness, or something I’m not expecting, it can put me into a crisis episode. It’s not epileptic seizures, but it looks like it. I can not talk. Sometimes it’s very quickly, sometimes it’s very long.”
The Quebec artist has alarm buttons in her house and the whole family knows how to act, even the twins Eddy and Nelson, aged 13.
“My children, when I have episodes, they know what to do. You do that, you do that, you call that, you do that for mom, because I can’t talk.”
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Celine Dion, who appears without makeup in the documentary, has never shown herself to be so vulnerable to her admirers, who have especially had access to the best of herself since the start of her career, in 1981. But why go too away by showing her suffering, although warlike?
“I’m made like that, it’s a question I’ve never asked myself. I have always been an open book, in times of joy, in times of great sorrow. Being an open book allowed me to have a connection with my fans even further than singing, for them and with them,” she explained, saying that she had the idea for the documentary and that she wanted to regain control of her story.
First warning signs in 2008
Celine Dion recounted that the first warning signs on her dashboard came in 2008, in Berlin, Germany, during the world tour Taking Chances.
“Every time I ate, every time I vocalized, every time I did my sound recording before every show, my voice spasmed.”
Céline Dion in 2008 with her son René-Charles Angélil.
ARCHIVE PHOTO/JOURNAL DE MONTRÉAL/AGENCY QMI
Losing “control” of his voice, which has been his best calling card for 43 years, caused a feeling of “panic”, which unfortunately can also lead to more spasms and stiffness. And, in the most dramatic moments, it can even go so far as to break his ribs.
It was in December 2022 that Celine Dion finally shared her diagnosis of stiff person syndrome in a video that went around the world.
Since then, she has been fighting to get back into shape and one day return to the stage.
Céline Dion’s interview can be caught on TVA+.
