Céline ‘IT’S WORSE THAN ANYONE KNOWS!’
It was her big movie debut, but Céline Dion’s absence from the New York premiere of rom-com Love Again on 4 May was a telling sign that the singer – who plays herself in the film, having announced in December that she’s suffering from stiff-person syndrome – is struggling.
A source confirms it was “a cruel blow” for the 55-year-old performer that she wasn’t well enough to attend alongside her co-stars Priyanka Chopra and Sam Heughan.
“It’s been a difficult time for her,” says the insider. “She’s having difficulty walking and experiences periods of intense pain.”
We’re told the star’s battle with the rare, progressive neurological syndrome is worse than fans feared. “Her disease is incurable,” says the source about Céline, who was forced to cancel her 2023 tour dates because of her illness. “Her life has changed drastically.”
As well as seeing a string of specialists to try to “keep fighting” against her severe muscle stiffness and uncontrollable spasms, the singer has been taking medication and working with a physical therapist to try to ward off its worst effects.
Céline has made other big changes too, like cancelling her world tour and selling off parts of her multimillion-dollar property empire in recent weeks. As well as offloading her $49 million Las Vegas mansion last month, she sold a $2.9 million property that belonged to her late mother, near Montreal, Canada.
Some have suggested the mother of RenéCharles, 22, and 12-year-old twins Eddy and Nelson may need the proceeds to fund her pricey treatment, while others say the homes no longer suit her now she’s less mobile.
Céline’s sister Claudette has been a tower of strength, saying, “I send her positive vibes in hope that one day she will go back on stage.”