The performance of the immense international star Céline Dion during the opening ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games gave chills to the audience present, as well as to 24.4 million viewers (including 1.2 million in replay) . It was a rare and moving moment, since the singer has limited her public appearances in recent years, particularly those on the music scene. This constraint is the consequence of an illness which considerably handicaps the celebrity on a daily basis: in December 2022, the artist revealed that she suffered from Stiff Man syndrome, a progressive and rare neurological disease. This pathology causes attacks of paralysis and prevents him from controlling his muscles, which proves particularly difficult to live with on a daily basis and in the context of his profession. The Red Line documentary, Celine Dion, The Iron Ladybroadcast this Sunday, December 22 at 8:50 p.m. on BFMTVand that Tele-Leisure was able to see, looks back on the difficult moments of Céline Dion’s illness, with an exclusive testimony from her sister, Claudette Dion.
Claudette Dion’s testimony on the first symptoms of her sister Céline Dion’s illness
Not having exclusive control of her muscles, Céline Dion suffers from very impressive paralyzing episodes, as we saw in a documentary she produced for Amazon Prime Video, broadcast on the platform in 2024. For 17 years , the singer felt symptoms of the disease without understanding them. Those close to him, and in particular Claudette Dion, witnessed these phases without really understanding them. In the documentary, the singer’s sister explains: “She said to me, ‘Claudette, come help me.’ She couldn’t put her boots back on because her foot was twisted. She couldn’t get control.” The disease was not diagnosed at the time, Claudette Dion and the star’s entourage tried to reassure her. Celine Dion’s sister remembers their first reflexes: “We said to ourselves it’s not serious, we get up at night too. We have some sort of cramps in our calves because we danced all evening. We said to ourselves: it’s not serious, it’s “It’s a muscle, it’s not vital.” However, over time, these episodes of paralysis increased in intensity.
Celine Dion’s ingenious efforts to preserve her health
This is not the first time that Celine Dion has had to deal with health problems. In 1990, the Quebec star learned that she had nodules on her vocal cords. Her doctor then confronts her with a dilemma: an operation that risks irreparably changing her voice or not speaking for three weeks. The artist chooses the second option so as not to endanger his career. His sister, Claudette Dion, also witnessed these three weeks of silence. She confides: “When she was talking to the mother on the phone, she would say, ‘Yes, I’ll give you one shot on the device, if not, I’ll give you two shots on the device.’ They were both funny.” Fun, but above all essential, this technique allowed Céline Dion to preserve her work tools while remaining in contact with her loved ones. This process has even become a habit for the singer.
