{"id":2100993,"date":"2026-08-19T14:57:53","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T11:57:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2100993"},"modified":"2026-08-19T14:57:53","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T11:57:53","slug":"celine-dion-is-determined-to-fight-on-amid-17-year-battle-with-stiff-person-syndrome-ahead-of-return-to-stage-in-paris-im-living-the-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/?p=2100993","title":{"rendered":"C\u00e9line Dion Is Determined To Fight On Amid 17-Year Battle With Stiff-Person Syndrome Ahead of Return to Stage in Paris: \u2018I\u2019m Living the Life\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\n\t\t\tTrending on Billboard\t\t<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tC\u00e9line Dion is gearing up for her grand return to the stage with a five-week, 16-show run at Paris\u2019 La D\u00e9fense Arena this fall slated to kick off on Sept. 12 and run through an Oct. 17 gig, before returning in the spring for another 10 shows in May 2027.<\/p>\n

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\t\t\t\t\tCeline Dion\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

See latest videos, charts and news<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tBut first, the beloved vocal powerhouse is opening up about the devastating 2022 medical diagnosis that nearly derailed her chart-topping career, and life. In an emotional profile in Harper\u2019s Bazaar<\/em> magazine, Dion, 58, reveals that her battle with the rare neurological disorder Stiff-Person Syndrome was even longer than previously detailed and that despite its debilitating effects, she is determined to fight on.<\/p>\n

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\"Madonna\"<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
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\t\t\t\t\tMadonna Celebrates 68th Birthday by Dancing, Breaking Plates and Feeding Cats\t\t<\/p>\n<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

\n\tDion has only performed once in the past six years, delivering an emotional rendition of \u00c9dith Piaf\u2019s \u201cHymne A L\u2019Amour\u201d from the Eiffel Tower at the 2024 Paris Olympics, a one-song performance that proved that she had not lost any of her signature vocal prowess. But the rigors of a return to full concerts over multiple nights is a different prospect in light of Dion canceling a 2022 North American and a 2023-2024 European tour due to the effects of the disorder.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt\u2019s been so long, I would like to offer them something to show how I\u2019ve missed them,\u201d Dion told the magazine about the series of shows that she has been training for after such a long layoff. The article details the singer doing 90-minute Pilates sessions three times a week, as well as ballet classes with a local company two days a week. It also describes her standing with her leg up on a ballet barre, stretching into a wide split and going through her paces after years of such chronic, intense pain that she could barely walk. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cIt is a progressive condition. I don\u2019t like to say \u2018disease.\u2019 Disease makes you go like this,\u201d she said, scrunching her nose while staying in constant motion to combat the effects of the condition that can cause her muscles to freeze at any moment. The article notes that Dion had experienced symptoms for 17 years before being formally diagnosed in 2022 with the extremely rare disorder that is believed to affect one or two people per million.<\/p>\n

\n\tThe rare, incurable neurological condition causes muscle stiffness and spasms, as well as balance issues and seizures, with Dion previously saying that when she first began to notice the symptoms, she had mobility issues and spasms so intense they caused broken ribs. She has attacked the disease with medications, physical therapy, vocal therapy, immunotherapy and, because there are no FDA-approved treatments, her foundation donated $2 million for research into autoimmune neurological disorders.<\/p>\n

\n\tBut, when the then-undiagnosed disorder\u2019s symptoms flared up during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, Dion went dark and then stayed off the radar for three years, afraid her devoted fans might think she was living a carefree, happy life while she was canceling shows on them.<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThey paid for tickets,\u201d she says of her beloved fans, who she noted helped her reach the status she has and afforded her a life that allowed her to get answers from leading experts about what was ailing her. \u201cThey bought my records. They gave me that luxury. So the least I can do is tell them that I\u2019m alive.\u201d She finally broke her silence in the 2024 documentary, I Am: Celine Dion<\/em>, as well as that year\u2019s one-hour NBC special, in which she revealed that desperation for relief led her to take near-lethal doses of Valium to treat anxiety, seizures and muscle spasms.<\/p>\n

\n\tSo, what can fans expect for Dion\u2019s grand return? Annie Horth, the head of wardrobe and creative adviser to the singer who has a legendarily massive collection of bespoke, glittery stage costumes said the show will be \u201cgrandiose,\u201d showing off Dion\u2019s many facets. \u201cShe goes from intimate and romantic to a vocal powerhouse, so we are creating something where she navigates that,\u201d said Horth.<\/p>\n

\n\tThat sounds about right to Adele, who told the magazine that her \u201clove for ballads is definitely a direct pass down from her. She\u2019s dramatic, and I love being a drama queen.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tIn her inimitable positive, energetic spirit, Dion told the magazine that her only option was to keep on keeping on. \u201cInstead of questioning life, can you live life?\u201d she wondered, answering her own query with an unequivocal affirmation: \u201cSo I\u2019m living my life, girl. I\u2019m living the life.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Billboard<\/p>\n

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[analyse_source url=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/music\/pop\/celine-dion-determined-fight-stiff-person-syndrome-paris-shows-1236319802\/”]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[analyse_image type=”featured” src=”https:\/\/www.billboard.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2160130817-e1787145424976.jpg?w=1024″] Trending on Billboard C\u00e9line Dion is gearing up for her grand return to the stage with a five-week, 16-show run at Paris\u2019 La D\u00e9fense Arena this fall slated to kick off on Sept. 12 and run through an Oct. 17 gig, before returning in the spring for another 10 shows in May […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[48,226],"class_list":["post-2100993","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics","tag-billboard-com","tag-crawlmanager"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2100993","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2100993"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2100993\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2100993"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2100993"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/analyse.optim.biz\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2100993"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}