The opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympics was billed from the start as one for the history books, as for the first time, an open-air boat parade on the Seine would replace the traditional stadium ceremony. And as viewers watching the events unfold found out, there was another reason too: the opening ceremony marked the long-awaited return to the stage of five-time Grammy Award winner Celine Dion.
Singing from the first stage amid the glittering Eiffel Tower, Dion closed the ceremony with a beautiful rendition of Edith Piaf’s “Hymne le votre amore.” It was the singer’s first performance since being diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome in December 2022. The rare autoimmune neurological disorder is diagnosed by the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center (guard) most often causes muscle stiffness and painful spasms that can worsen over time. There is no cure for the progressive disease, but it can be managed with medication and other therapies.
Emotional Instagram video Two and a half years ago, Dion went public with her diagnosis and announced she’d be postponing her 2023 tour to focus on her health. “Honestly, it’s been hard,” she said in the video. “All I know is singing. It’s what I’ve done my whole life and it’s what I love most.”
Dion said she had been struggling with health issues for a “long time” before she announced her diagnosis, and the effects she was experiencing were far-reaching: “Unfortunately, these spasms can affect every aspect of your daily life, from making it difficult to walk to not being able to use your vocal cords to sing as you normally would,” she said.
Some spasms associated with stiff-person syndrome can produce forces strong enough to break bones. interview Just two months ago, during an appearance with Hoda Kotb on the Today Show, Dion said she suffered injuries so severe that she broke some ribs.
So it’s no surprise that spasms can also make singing difficult: “It feels like someone is choking me, like they’re forcing their voice box against me,” Dion said on the Today Show, pressing her hands against her neck. “It makes me spasm.”
In April, Dion Vogue France She undergoes exercise, physical and voice therapy five days a week to manage her symptoms and is learning to live with the disorder. “I have two choices: I can train and work hard like an athlete, or I can switch off, listen to songs at home and stand in front of the mirror and talk to myself,” she says. “I’ve chosen to work with my medical team, from head to toe, to be the best version of myself I can be.”
At the time, Dion didn’t comment on whether she would (or could) return to the stage, but she was adamant about her determination to keep trying. “There’s one thing that never stops, and that’s the will. The passion. The dreams. The determination,” she said.
To Vogue France, Dion said her goal was to “see the Eiffel Tower one more time,” and she achieved that goal and more at the Olympic Opening Ceremony, dominating the historic landmark’s first stage in a beaded, tassel-adorned white gown. Dion’s return was a riveting conclusion to an Opening Ceremony that featured an impressive display of French art, culture, history, and community. From Lady Gaga’s rendition of “Mon truc en plume” along the Seine to a lavish light show at the Eiffel Tower, the kickoff to the Paris Olympics did not disappoint. Yes, the Opening Ceremony began on an emotional note, perhaps heralding even more moving performances in the coming weeks.
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