Celine Dion performs after 6 years amid health issues, breaks down on stage. Watch
Celine Dion returned to the stage in Paris for her first full show in years and told fans she had kept her promise to come back. The tearful moment underlined her recovery journey after a stiff-person syndrome diagnosis forced her off the road.
Singer Celine Dion is back where she has always belonged – on stage. The My Heart Will Go On singer made an emotional return to live performance in Paris on Saturday, six years after her last full concert and three years after revealing that she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome.
Dion, 58, took the stage at Paris La Defense Arena in front of around 30,000 fans. It marked the beginning of her 26-show residency at the venue and her first full-scale concert since performing in New Jersey in 2020.
“I made a promise,” Dion told the crowd. “I made a promise to come back, to be back on stage. And here I am.”
The singer became emotional after finishing one of her songs as the audience erupted in applause. Fighting back tears, she admitted that she had promised herself she would not cry.
“But I’m so happy to see you all. I missed you,” she told the crowd.
Dion also had a message for the fans who stood by her through the difficult years. “I am everything I am because you loved me,” she said.
Watch one of the clips here:
Celine Dion's long-awaited comeback
Dion's return comes after years away from live shows following her diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome in December 2022. The rare neurological condition causes muscle stiffness and painful spasms and eventually forced the singer to postpone her scheduled performances.
Her only major stage appearance since then came in 2024, when she performed Hymne l'amour at the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics. Saturday's performance, however, was different. It marked her return to a full concert in front of a live audience.
Her Paris residency will continue through September and October and into the New Year, with 26 shows planned at Paris La Defense Arena.
'It's like somebody is strangling you'
Dion has previously spoken about how the condition has affected her voice and her everyday life. In an interview with NBC News, she described the effect on her throat as feeling “like somebody is strangling you”. She explained that the condition made it difficult for her to raise or lower her voice.
The spasms can affect several parts of her body, including her throat, abdomen, spine and ribs. Dion said the stiffness could leave parts of her body feeling locked in one position.
Even simple things such as cooking became difficult. She said her fingers and hands could cramp into a position that she could not unlock. At one point, she said, the spasms were so severe that she suffered broken ribs.
Despite the challenges, Dion has remained determined to return to the stage. And in Paris, she finally kept the promise she made to herself and her fans..