Celebrity3 min(s) read
Celine Dion has shared a major update as she prepares for her highly anticipated return to the stage following her stiff person syndrome diagnosis.
The 58-year-old singer has performed just once in the past six years after the rare neurological condition forced her to step away from touring.
Now, Dion is revealing to Harper's Bazaar that she's been undergoing a rigorous fitness routine ahead of her 10-date residency in Paris, France.
The 'My Heart Will Go On' vocalist is doing 90-minute Pilates sessions three times a week, as well as twice-weekly ballet classes with a local company.
"It is a progressive condition. I don’t like to say 'disease.' Disease makes you go like this," she said, scrunching her nose and adding: "'Kevin, you’re such a disease.'"
Dion was diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, also known as SPS, in 2022 after years of symptoms and a flare-up in 2020.
The condition eventually forced her to cancel the remaining dates of her Courage World Tour.
"It’s been so long, I would like to offer them something to show how I’ve missed them," she told Harper's Bazaar.
In March, Dion announced a 10-night residency at the 40,000-capacity Paris La Défense Arena in September and October.
She has since added extra dates due to "overwhelming demand," including 10 more shows in May.
Announcing the comeback on her birthday, she called it "the best gift of my life."
"I'm so ready to do this. I'm feeling good, I'm strong, I'm feeling excited, obviously, [and] of course, a little nervous," she said. "I'm doing great, managing my health, feeling good. I'm singing again, even doing a little bit of dancing."
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, SPS is "named after the symptoms that were originally described with the condition: episodes of muscles locking up and becoming stiff as a board."
The rare autoimmune neurological condition can cause muscle stiffness and painful spasms that come and go and worsen over time.
It is believed to affect one to two people per million, with women twice as likely to be diagnosed as men.
There is no cure, but specialists can help patients manage symptoms with treatments including anti-seizure drugs, painkillers, anti-anxiety medication, and muscle relaxants.
When Dion revealed her diagnosis in 2022, she explained how the condition had affected her ability to perform.
"Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life," she said. "Sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I'm used to."
Dion's battle with the condition was documented in the 2024 film I Am: Celine Dion.
That same year, she made her only stage appearance in six years when she performed Edith Piaf's 'L'Hymne à L'Amour' during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
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