C\u00e9line 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In a Harper\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The cause of SPS, an extremely rare disease, is still unknown, according to Yale Medicine, \u201cbut 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.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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 \u201csuch as sedatives, muscle relaxants, and steroids.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The My Heart Will Go On <\/em>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 \u201cfunction.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt is a progressive condition. I don\u2019t like to say \u2018disease.\u2019 Disease makes you go like this,\u201d she told the publication, scrunching her nose and referencing a quote from the movie<\/strong> Home Alone.<\/strong> \u201c<\/em>\u2018Kevin, you\u2019re such a disease.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Following Dion\u2019s diagnosis, the outlet says that the It\u2019s All Coming Back to Me Now <\/em>singer committed to \u201cintense rehabilitation: new meds, physical therapy, vocal therapy, immunotherapy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n She has only performed once in the past six years at the 2024 Paris Olympics, performing \u00c9dith Piaf\u2019s Hymne A L\u2019Amour<\/em> from the Eiffel Tower.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIt\u2019s been so long, I would like to offer them something to show how I\u2019ve missed them,\u201d Dion said of her fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThey paid for tickets,\u201d she added. \u201cThey bought my records. They gave me that luxury. So the least I can do is tell them that I\u2019m alive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Harper\u2019s Bazaar shared details about the singer\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dion describes this period of her life as \u201cfalling and getting back up repeatedly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Annie Horth, Dion\u2019s head of wardrobe and creative adviser, said that Dion fans can expect something \u201cgrandiose\u201d from the upcoming shows.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe goes from intimate and romantic to a vocal powerhouse, so we are creating something where she navigates that,\u201d Horth added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When asked what it is about herself that makes her fans love her so much, Dion replied, \u201cIt\u2019s got to be because I\u2019m an open book. I\u2019m honest, and it\u2019s not always pretty. Sometimes it\u2019s happy things, sometimes it\u2019s sad, but it\u2019s called life. Instead of questioning life, can you live life? So I\u2019m living my life, girl. I\u2019m living the life.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dion previously opened up about her diagnosis of SPS in the 2024 documentary, titled I Am: C\u00e9line Dion<\/em>, that followed the Quebec chanteuse as she was diagnosed with SPS and navigated her first year living with the neurological condition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThis 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,\u201d Dion said in a statement ahead of the release.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dion shared that she is optimistic about the future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAs the road to resuming my performing career continues, I have realized how much I have missed it, of being able to see my fans. During this absence, I decided I wanted to document this part of my life to help others who share this diagnosis.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Dion first revealed her diagnosis to the public in December 2022, saying the disease does not allow her \u201cto sing the way I\u2019m used to.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n She cancelled the rest of her world tour May 2023, apologizing to her fans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI\u2019m so sorry to disappoint all of you once again,\u201d she said in a statement. \u201cI\u2019m working really hard to build back my strength, but touring can be very difficult even when you\u2019re 100 per cent.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n The move came after she postponed her return to her Las Vegas residency in 2021, citing medical issues.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"