An emotional Celine Dion greeted fans as she left her hotel in Paris on Saturday night ahead of her big comeback gig.
The singer, 58, will kickstart her five-week residency – her first run of concerts since she was forced to cancel the remainder of her Courage world tour in 2023.
She revealed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, or SPS, which causes muscle stiffness and painful spasms.
At its worst, the debilitating condition left her unable to walk properly or use her singing voice as she once had.
In homage to Celine, fans, known as ‘the red heads’, set up a special candy apple stand in reference to an apple tree statement they made when she revealed her health battle.
Fans said at the time: ‘We’re not here for the apple, we’re here for the tree,’ meaning they care more about her health and wellbeing than her performing and producing hits.
An emotional Celine Dion greeted fans as she left her hotel in Paris on Saturday night ahead of her big comeback gig
In homage to Celine, fans, known as ‘the red heads’, set up a special candy apple stand in reference to an apple tree statement they made when she revealed her health battle
Celine cut a stylish figure in cream trousers with a feathered trim along the side and a chic black blazer
The songstress appeared touched by the thoughtful gesture and took the time out to talk to fans before making her way to the Plenitude Arena.
Celine cut a stylish figure in cream trousers with a feathered trim along the side and a chic black blazer.
The singer is in the French capital ahead of a five-week residency – her first run of concerts since she was forced to cancel the remainder of her Courage world tour in 2023.
But four years after receiving the diagnosis, the My Heart Will Go On star has said she is fighting fit for her return.
The singer previously said she had been doing 90-minute Pilates sessions three times a week and bi-weekly ballet classes, as well as physical and vocal therapy and immunotherapy.
‘It’s been so long, I would like to offer them something to show how I’ve missed them,’ she told Harper’s Bazaar of finally heading back out on tour.
The last time she performed on stage was at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games ceremony, having been forced to cancel her Courage world tour the previous year.
Candid documentary I Am: Celine Dion, also released in 2024, showed an unfiltered glimpse into her life living with the condition.
She revealed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, or SPS, which causes muscle stiffness and painful spasms
In homage to Celine, fans, known as ‘the red heads’, set up a special candy apple stand in reference to an apple tree statement they made when she revealed her health battle
Fans said at the time: ‘We’re not here for the apple, we’re here for the tree,’ meaning they care more about her health and well-being than her performing and producing hits
The songstress appeared touched by the thoughtful gesture and took the time out to talk to fans before making her way to the Plenitude Arena
In one harrowing, 10-minute scene, she could be seen writhing around in agony after suffering a muscle spasm, which left her crying out in pain.
‘They paid for tickets. They bought my records. They gave me that luxury. So the least I can do is tell them that I’m alive,’ she said of giving her viewers such access to her private life.
On why she still has such a legion of dedicated fans she added: ‘It’s got to be because I’m an open book. I’m honest, and it’s not always pretty.
‘Sometimes it’s happy things, sometimes it’s sad, but it’s called life.’
She said she likes to describe her diagnosis as a ‘progressive condition’ rather than a ‘disease’, as that brings to mind a scene in Home Alone in which Jeff McCallister says to his brother: ‘Kevin, you’re such a disease.’
