Celine Dion gives health update in rare interview

NEW YORK (AFP): Canadian pop megastar Celine Dion, who suffers from a rare neurological disorder, said in her first interview since announcing the career-sidelining diagnosis that she is well, but taking life “one day at a time.”

Dion, 56, first disclosed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, which causes stiff muscles in the torso, arms and legs, with noise or emotional distress known to trigger spasms.

As the cover star of Vogue France’s May edition, she told the magazine she was “well” but that her condition requires “a lot of work.”

“Five days a week I undergo athletic, physical and vocal therapy,” she said.

“I haven’t beat the disease, as it’s still within me and always will be. I hope that we’ll find a miracle, a way to cure it with scientific research, but for now I have to learn to live with it,” she said.

There is no cure for Stiff Person Syndrome, which is progressive, but treatment can help control symptoms. According to the US National Institutes of Health, it affects twice as many women as men.

In May last year, Dion was forced to cancel a string of shows scheduled for 2023 and 2024, saying she was not strong enough to tour.

Asked about her ability to return to the stage, Dion told Vogue France she “can’t answer that” right now.

“I don’t know… My body will tell me,” she said.

Dion made a surprise appearance at the Grammy Awards in February, when she presented the Album of the Year award to Taylor Swift.

In January, Dion announced she would make a feature-length documentary, to stream on Amazon Prime Video, about her condition to help increase public awareness.

Dion has sold more than 250 million albums during her decades-long career.

The Quebec-born star’s “Courage World Tour” began in 2019, over three years after her longtime manager and husband, Rene Angelil, died aged 73.

Dion had completed 52 shows before the Covid-19 pandemic put the remainder on hold.