Celine Dion’s sister has given a sombre update about the singer’s condition after it was revealed she had been diagnosed with a rare neurological disorder last year.
Back in December 2022, the Grammy Award winner and all-round ICON shared that she was suffering from stiff person syndrome (SPS) in an emotional Instagram video.
The autoimmune and neurological condition causes rigidity in the torso and limbs, and symptoms can include stiffening in the torso and limbs, along with muscle spasms.
Dion’s diagnosis forced her to cancel the remainder of her entire world tour earlier this year in May, although she admitted that she was “working really hard to build back [her] strength”.
However, yesterday it was revealed by Dion’s older sister Claudette that the singer still isn’t in a fit state to return to the stage. Speaking to Canada’s 7 Jours per the Daily Mail, she said:
“She’s working hard, but she doesn’t have control over her muscles. What breaks my heart is that she’s always been disciplined... She’s always worked hard.”
The singer’s sister continued, “it’s true that in both our dreams and hers, the goal is to return to the stage. In what capacity? I don’t know.”
The legendary Canadian hitmaker’s condition, which is progressive and incurable, is said to affect one out of a million people. Because of this rarity and the fact that it mostly affects women, there is a scarcity of research into SPS.
The condition reportedly causes the body to attack nerve cells and can severely impact mobility, turning sufferers into ‘human statues’.
Before this recent update, rumours spread that the “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now” singer was in a wheelchair. This was denounced by Claudette back in October when she told showbizz.net that Celine was not reliant on a wheelchair, and was still planning to return to performing.
This was also the message of Dion’s original video update shared in December 2022 (which is a very emotional watch – just saying).
The singer admitted that “in order to reach you, I have no choice but to concentrate on my health at this moment... I always give 100% when I do my shows, but my condition is not allowing me to do that right now. But I have hope that I’m on the road to recovery.”
In her conversation with showbizz.net earlier this year, Claudette added that Dion is “morally, mentally... strong. She is not depressed at all … she really has the joy of living. We will get through this.”