CELINE DION. In a video posted on Instagram, singer Celine Dion revealed that she has a neurological disease, preventing her from singing.
[Mis à jour le 09 décembre 2022 à 09h31] After long months of silence, the confessions of Celine Dion. In a video posted on Instagram, Thursday, December 8, the Canadian diva reveals, with tears in her eyes, to be suffering from a serious neurological disease, called Stiff-person syndrome in English, or stiff man syndrome in French.
A pathological condition that could prevent her from walking, or even singing, and which would be the cause of the famous spasms that Celine Dion’s relatives have spoken of in recent months to explain the absence of the star. In the same video, the singer also announces that she must once again cancel concerts on her tour. Courage World Tour in Europe. This tour was to resume at the end of February 2023 in the Czech Republic. In addition to her concerts, the singer will notably not be present at the Vieilles charrues festival in Brittany, where she was expected on July 13, after the first two cancellations.
According to her website and the latest news from her producers, Celine Dion will therefore be back on stage on August 26, 2023, in Amsterdam. The six concerts scheduled at Paris La Défense Arena in September 2023 are also maintained. For the moment. Celine Dion had given the first 52 shows of the tour before the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020 before then announcing last January that she was canceling the North American part of this tour because of her health problems. health.
What is the Stiff-person syndromeCeline Dion’s disease?
In a video posted Thursday, December 8 on Instagram, Celine Dion explains that she has a very rare neurological disease, called in English Stiff-person syndrome. A pathology that affects “about one person in a million”, as Celine Dion explains in her video and which is translated, in French, by “stiff man syndrome.”
This disorder of the nervous system is characterized (hence its name), by a progressive stiffness of the muscles, in particular those of the trunk, which causes, as in Celine Dion, the famous muscular spasms from which she had previously revealed to suffer. This pathology, discovered in 1956, is treated with muscle relaxants, anticonvulsants or anxiolytics. Stiff-person syndrome affects twice as many women as men and peak incidence is around age 45, explains Orpha.net“the portal for rare diseases.”
“The progressive muscular stiffness leads to immobility of the trunk and hips and the gait becomes stiff and particular”, is it detailed on the same site.
Celine Dion’s Instagram video
“Hello everyone. I’m sorry it took so long to update you. I miss you all and can’t wait to get on stage to talk to you in person. As you know, I ‘ve always been an open book, but until now I was not ready to talk about what I had to go through”, begins the singer Celine Dion in her video, posted in French and English on her account Instagram, this Thursday, December 8, 2022.
And to detail: “I have had health problems for a long time and it is not easy for me to cope with them. Recently I was diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder, called in English Stiff-person syndrome, which affects approximately one in a million people. We do not yet know everything about this rare disease but we now know that it is the cause of the muscle spasms from which I suffer. Unfortunately these spasms affect my everyday life on several levels. I sometimes have a lot of difficulty walking and I can’t use my vocal cords as I would like.”
Celine Dion cancels her European tour
In the same video, Celine Dion explains that due to her state of health, she will not be able to go back on stage for her European tour, postponed to early 2023. “It saddens me enormously to have to tell you today that I won’t be ready to start my tour of Europe again in February, says the singer. I like to listen to an excellent team of doctors who treat me to make me feel better. And it is my children who give me the courage and the hope to Also, I train every day with my sports medicine therapist to regain strength and stamina to allow me to perform again, but I must admit that it is an ongoing struggle.
She adds: “Singing is what I’ve done all my life and for me, not being able to do it anymore is unimaginable. I miss seeing you, being on stage, performing for you. I’m I always give 100% in my concerts, but right now I’m in no condition to do so. To find you, I have no choice but to focus on my health. And I’m hopeful to to be on the right track.”
And to conclude: “I am very grateful to you for all your messages of encouragement on my social networks, your words mean a lot to me and help me a lot. Take care of yourself. Be well. I hope very very much to be able to see you again soon. Thank you.”
Concerts in France maintained
After two first postponements due to the Covid, then the state of health of singer Céline Dion, the concert dates in France from Courage World Tour have been modified several times. However, the production of the diva ensures that the concerts in France announced in the summer and fall of 2023, are maintained (for the moment). Also, Celine Dion will perform at Paris la Défense Arena on September 1, 2, 5, 6, 9 and 10, 2023. However, the highly anticipated date at Les Vieilles Charrues on July 13, also twice postponed, has been canceled.
- September 1, 2023 – Postponement of 06/26/20, 03/19/21 and 09/16/22
- September 2, 2013 – Postponement of 06/26/2020, 03/20/21 and 09/17/22
- September 5, 2023 – Postponement of 06/30/20, 03/23/21 and 09/20/22
- September 6, 2023 – Postponement of 01/07/20, 24/03/21 and 01/09/22
- September 9, 2023 – Postponement of 07/03/20, 03/26/21 and 09/23/22
- September 10, 2023 – Postponement of 04/07/20, 27/03/21 and 24/09/22)