celebrity

Céline Dion Is ‘Learning to Live With’ Stiff Person Syndrome

Celebrity Sightings in New York City - March 8, 2020
Photo: James Devaney/GC Images

In 2022, Céline Dion revealed she was suffering from stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that causes spasms and muscle stiffness. Though Dion’s sister Claudette told a French newspaper last year that the singer could no longer control her muscles, Céline and her powerful vocal cords are not giving up. Earlier this year, she made a surprise appearance at the 2024 Grammys, where she treated a handful of lucky onlookers backstage to some impromptu vocal riffing. And in a new interview with Vogue France, she offered several encouraging updates on her life with SPS.

“I haven’t beat the disease, as it’s still within me and always will be,” Dion told the publication, adding that “for now I have to learn to live with it.” She said she does “athletic, physical, and vocal therapy” five times a week and is living “from day to day.” “The way I see it,” she said, “I have two choices. Either I train like an athlete and work superhard, or I switch off and it’s over.” She said she has “chosen to work with all my body and soul, from head to toe, with a medical team. I want to be the best I can be.”

Meanwhile, Dion is still living in Las Vegas — she has been there for 22 years — and stopping by the occasional ice-hockey game with her sons. “Today, I am a woman who feels strong and positive about the future,” she said. I can’t disagree.

Céline Dion Is ‘Learning to Live With’ Stiff-Person Syndrome