Celine Dion is giving fans an honest look at her life with stiff person syndrome.
In a new documentary, the famous singer experiences a scary medical crisis during a physical therapy session, and it’s all caught on camera.
In 2022, Dion revealed she had been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome. In the documentary, “I Am: Celine Dion,” she shares that she had been dealing with symptoms of this rare, progressive neurological disorder for 17 years.
“I need my instrument. And my instrument was not working. So we started to elevate the medicine,” Dion, 56, said after struggling to hit certain notes during her 2018 and 2019 tours.
Though she completed her 2018 tour, Dion had to postpone several dates from her 2019 tour due to the “common cold” before the pandemic shut it down.
Her tour resumed in 2022, but she had to keep canceling and rescheduling shows. It wasn’t until she announced her diagnosis that she officially canceled the rest of her appearances.
“I can’t lie anymore,” Dion says in the documentary. “From a sinus infection to an ear infection to whatever. Sometimes I would point my microphone toward the audience, and I would make them sing it. There are moments where I cheated and I tapped on the microphone like it was the microphone’s fault.”
LONDON, ENGLAND – JULY 05: Celine Dion performs live at Barclaycard Presents British Summer Time Hyde Park at Hyde Park on July 05, 2019 in London, England. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Redferns)
In the documentary, there’s a part where Dion shows a very personal moment. She’s lying on a massage table doing exercises for her physical therapy when her foot suddenly starts to cramp. Soon after, her whole body tightens up and she can’t move or talk to the people around her.
The camera keeps recording as another person from her medical team rushes in with a nasal spray called benzodiazepine. They give it to Dion, who’s in so much pain that she’s crying, even though she can’t move. It’s really hard to watch this part of the video.
Once the spasms have subsided – they typically last anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour – Dion is able to sit up and speak.
“Every time something like this happens, it makes me feel so embarrassed,” she says. “I don’t know how to express it, you know, to not have control over yourself.”
Her physical therapist speculates the attack was brought on by being “overstimulated” from an earlier singing session.
“If I can’t get stimulated by what I love, then I’m going to go on stage, and you’re going to put the pulse oximeter on me and turn me on my back?” she wonders.
Dion hopes that one day soon she’ll be able to return to the stage.
Adele stands up for a fan who was harassed by security at her show and lets him sing
Adele showed her unwavering commitment to her fans at a recent concert at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas when she intervened on behalf of a fan who was being harassed by security guards. During their performance, fan Juan Pablo Lastra stood and sang along as security repeatedly asked him to sit down.
Noticing the fan’s distress, Adele interrupted the performance of her song “I Drink Wine” to address the issue. From the stage she asked: “Why is this young fan being harassed for just standing up? What is the problem?” She then told security to leave Juan alone and assured him: “You won’t be bothered anymore, darling. Just enjoy the show”.
Juan, who recorded the concert with a 360-degree camera, captured Adele’s supportive gesture. His footage quickly went viral on TikTok, receiving over a million views across various posts. After Adele’s intervention, the guard stood down and a senior security official assured Juan that he could remain standing.
The audience responded with cheers, showing their appreciation for Adele’s actions. This moment occurred during her stint on “Weekends With Adele” and reflected her genuine concern for her fans.
Check out the video below to witness Adele’s touching moment of support.
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