Céline Dion opened up about her diagnosis with stiff person syndrome, exclusively telling E! News that her new documentary is a chance to share her health journey with her world.
Céline Dion is feeling like a new day has come.
The “My Heart Will Go On” singer has been candid about her health struggles since sharing her stiff-person syndrome diagnosis in 2022, but even now, she knows the importance of her telling her story and feeling the encouragement from her fans.
“For a long time—for so many years—I have felt the love and the support of my fans around the world,” Céline exclusively told E! News June 17 at the premiere of her documentary I Am: Céline Dion. “They helped me to get where I am today.”
And yet, the 56-year-old explained in the interview—airing June 18 at 11 p.m.—that she was nervous about sharing her diagnosis in the beginning, because she was “not capable of being the best of me.” But the Grammy winner is hoping the documentary will be a chance “to share with the world that there’s [been] something going on for many, many, many years.”
“Because I respect my fans, my family, my kids, myself,” she continued, “they deserve to know.”
As Céline—who shares sons René-Charles, 23, and twins Nelson and Eddy, 13, with her late husband René Angélil—explained, her health journey has included many hurdles, especially early on when doctors were still determining her diagnosis. But Céline is maintaining her positive attitude.
“It’s not about choosing what you have,” she said. “It’s dealing with what’s happening.”
And more than anything, the “All By Myself” singer is hopeful her documentary—which premieres on Amazon Prime June 25—can shine the spotlight on health issues that many viewers might not be familiar with.
“I’m trying for this awareness,” she added, “for the people who may feel that they’re alone, they’re suffering.”
And that doesn’t just apply to those suffering from stiff-person syndrome, which causes muscle rigor and spasms, but also for anyone struggling with an immune disorder.
“I hope that this will give them wings and strength to reach out and talk to people and say it’s worth it,” she said. “We’re all worth it, and I’m just thankful.”
Céline has previously shared a similar sentiment, explaining that keeping a positive attitude has made a major difference in her life.
“Life doesn’t give you any answers,” she told Vogue France in April. “You just have to live it!”
“The way I see it, I have two choices,” she continued. “Either I train like an athlete and work super hard, or I switch off and it’s over, I stay at home, listen to my songs, stand in front of my mirror and sing to myself.”
But Céline is choosing to keep working on herself, adding that her current goal is “to see the Eiffel Tower again!”
For more on Céline’s health journey, keep reading.
—Reporting by Emily Curl