Celine Dion stepped out onto the streets of Paris to greet adoring fans in a rare public appearance today. The Canadian singer, 58, arrived at Hotel Le Royal Monceau in Paris ahead of her comeback concerts in the French capital. Swathed in a caramel trench coat cinched in at the waist, the songstress's face was largely hidden by a bold pair of huge £330 Alaia wraparound shades.
Keeping her hairstyle as elegant as ever in a sleek, gelled bun, she waved and blew kisses to fans, seeming happy as she made her way inside the hotel.
Return to the stage after SPS battle
It comes as Celine gets ready to make a return to the stage three years after she was forced to cancel her world tour due to her devastating struggle with Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS). The My Heart Will Go On singer was officially diagnosed with the rare and incurable neurological disorder in 2022, but had struggled with hidden symptoms for nearly two decades. She has only performed once in the last six years.
Her last official public appearance was in 2024 when she sang in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. She did step out with her three sons at a Paul McCartney concert in October last year but was spotted in the crowd and didn't publicly greet fans at the gig.
Hidden symptoms and diagnosis
Celine spoke about her hidden symptoms prior to her diagnosis, explaining how she would cancel her shows citing a common cold or sinus issues, but actually she had been suffering with more debilitating symptoms. In her documentary, she laid bare how the condition strained her voice, when she was left terrified and paralysed during one particularly bad episode and how she had been taking pain killers and antidepressants to manage her symptoms.
"It is a progressive condition. I don't like to say 'disease.' Disease makes you go like this," she told Harper's Bazaar before making a face.
Preparing for the comeback
Earlier this year she announced her return to the stage for a five-week limited engagement in Paris. She revealed she has been doing 90-minute Pilates sessions three times a week. As well as Pilates, she also uses weights, a treadmill and a reformer machine to get her ready for the big event.
"They paid for tickets. They bought my records. They gave me that luxury. So the least I can do is tell them that I'm alive," she says of her fans. "It's been so long, I would like to offer them something to show how I've missed them."
Following her diagnosis, Celine turned to intense rehab to get her through, including new medicines and physical and vocal therapy. With there being no FDA-approved treatments for her condition, her foundation donated a huge $2 million for research into autoimmune neurological disorders.
Celine felt she resonates mostly with her fans because she's such an open book. She said: "It's got to be because I'm an open book. I'm honest, and it's not always pretty. Sometimes it's happy things, sometimes it's sad, but it's called life."
Announcing her diagnosis in 2022, Celine said she needed to face the challenge. "I've been dealing with problems with my health for a long time and it's been really difficult for me to face my challenges and to talk about everything that I've been going through," she explained. "Recently I've been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the Stiff Person Syndrome which affects one in a million people. While we're still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what's been causing all the spasms I've been having. I miss you so much. I always give 100 percent when I do my shows but my condition is not allowing me to give that to you right now."
