CELINE DION
The star opens up about dating one year after husband René Angélil’s death.
Before a recent show in Las Vegas, a fan dropped to his knee and proposed to his girlfriend in front of Celine Dion, whose heart melted. “Are you going to say yes?” Celine, a hopeless romantic, asked the future bride before inviting herself to the wedding and wishing the couple a long, happy marriage like she had with husband René Angélil.
Celine, 49, has an intimate relationship with her fans, who supported her during René’s cancer battle and subsequent death on Jan. 14, 2016. So while they understand the mom of three’s grief over losing her husband of 21 years, it’s no wonder some hope she’ll fall in love again, too. “Fans tell her she needs to date,” a friend tells Closer, “but Celine says, ‘What do you mean — again? I’ve never dated,’ ” noting that René’s the only man she ever kissed. “It is definitely too soon for me,” Celine says. “It’s very difficult for me to see myself with a different person.”
SLOW AND STEADY
Celine knows her fans mean well, but her heart still belongs to René. “Almost any memory Celine has in her life is tied to him,” her friend explains. “Losing him was like losing half of herself, so she isn’t thinking in terms of finding someone to replace him.”
Still, even her son, René-Charles, 16, has recently brought up the subject of Celine eventually moving on. “He said, ‘Mom, if you’re going to be dating, it’s OK,’” the friend shares. “But Celine just hugged him and said, ‘You’re smart like your father, but I don’t believe I’m ready.’ ”
The singer, after all, is open about the fact that she still feels married to her husband and manager, and her focus remains on her boys, including twins Eddy and Nelson, 6. “It’s her family that means everything,” the friend says.
Experts agree there’s no reason for Celine to feel pressure to enter the singles scene. “There’s no specific time line,” psychologist Dr. Julie Armstrong tells Closer. “You can’t rush children into that. Not only are they grieving a loss, but they’d have to get to know a new person who could threaten their relationship with their mother.”
When and if Celine does feel she’s ready to test the waters of the dating pool, there’s sure to be a learning curve. “She’s actually petrified because she has absolutely zero dating experience,” the friend says, adding that Celine will be quite the catch. “She’s a wonderful conversationalist and really, really funny and charming.”
Until then, Celine is content to take things one day at a time. “This is a new chapter of my life,” she admits, as she bravely proves to her sons that life must go on without their father. “You have the option to be strong or not to be strong. My sons are doing really well because I’m strong.” — Louise A. Barile, with reporting
by Amanda Williams
“I have the love of my children. I have the love of my fans. My life is not empty of love.”
— Celine