Celine Dion tearfully announces she has incurable disease that leaves her unable to walk or talk
8 December 2022, 13:27 | Updated: 17 March 2023, 11:53
Celine Dion has shared tragic news about her ongoing health issues.
Celine Dion has revealed that she's been diagnosed with a rare and incurable neurological disease.
The 54-year-old singer said on Instagram that she has Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), which leaves people as "human statues", locking the body into rigid positions.
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There is no cure for the condition, and will eventually lead to sufferers being unable to walk or talk.
Celine told fans that because of her deteriorating health, she was forced to cancel her European tour.
"Hello everyone, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to reach out to you. I miss you all so much and can’t wait to be on stage talking to you in person.
"As you know I’ve always been an open book and I wasn’t ready to say anything before but I'm ready now.
Celine Dion announces diagnosis with incurable neurological disorder
"I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time and it's been really difficult for me to face my challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through.
"While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what’s been causing all the spasms I’ve been having," she added.
"Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I'm used to."
She explained that she has a "great team of doctors working alongside her" and is being supported by her "precious children".
"I miss you so much I miss seeing all of you being on the stage performing for you I always give 100 percent when I do my show but my condition is now allowing me to give you that right now," she added.
"For me to reach you again I have no choice but to concentrate on my health at this moment and I have hope that I'm on the road to recovery,
"This is my focus and I'm doing everything I can to recuperate."
"I want to thank you so much for your wishes and love and support on my social media. This means a lot to me. Take care of yourselves. Be well. I love you guys so much and I really hope I can see you again real soon," she said.
In January, Celine cancelled the American tour dates of her Courage world tour. At the time, she told fans that she had to cancel shows due to "severe and persistent muscle spasms".
The rescheduled UK and Ireland tour dates are (original dates in brackets)
- 2024.04.05 (2023.03.30) - Dublin, Ireland - 3Arena
- 2024.04.06 (2023.03.31) - Dublin, Ireland - 3Arena
- 2024.04.09 (2023.04.05) - Manchester, England - AO Arena Manchester
- 2024.04.10 (2023.04.06) - Manchester, England - AO Arena Manchester
- 2024.04.13 (2023.04.02) - Glasgow, Scotland - OVO Hydro
- 2024.04.14 (2023.04.03) - Glasgow, Scotland - OVO Hydro
- 2024.04.17 (2023.03.26) - Birmingham, England - Utilita Arena Birmingham
- 2024.04.18 (2023.03.27) - Birmingham, England - Utilita Arena Birmingham
- 2024.04.21 (2023.04.10) - London, England - The O2
- 2024.04.22 (2023.04.11) - London, England - The O2
