Celine Dion revealed the reason why she decided to wear a coat while making a surprise appearance at the 2024 Grammys in February.
The star, 56, shocked fans as she showed up at the ceremonyamid her battle with incurable stiff-person syndrome in order topresent Taylor Swift with the album of the year award.
And now Celine shared why she opted to wear a mustard yellow Valentino coat over her gown at the event.
'It made me feel better for a moment to hold onto this coat, to hide myself a little bit from all these little things,' she toldVogue in a recentLife in Looks series.
'It was very nerve-wracking, but at the same time, a big honor,' she said about her appearance. 'That magic. That excitement. To see the fans, to see the crowd. To see show business again.'
Celine Dion, 56, revealed the reason why she decided to wear a coat while making a surprise appearance at the 2024 Grammys in February; seen onstage at the event
The My Heart Will Go On singer was styled by Law Roach for the evening. He is known for his work with Euphoria star Zendaya.
'I was like, "You can walk onstage with a coat? Oh yeah! You can do whatever you want in fashion, have a good time, wear that coat, own that coat, go for it,"' Celine said of her decision to wear the coat.
While speaking about wanting to 'hide' in the coat the five-time Grammy winner started singing the words from her 2019 track 'Imperfections'.
'I got my own imperfections. I got my own... I got my own, whole...' she sang in the clip, 'So, we did it.'
The appearance was one of just a few public ones that she's made over the past few years, after she was diagnosed with the rare neurological disorder stiff-person syndrome (SPS) in 2022.
As she stepped out on stage she was accompanied by her son René-Charles Angélil, 23.
'It took a lot, a lot out of me. But my son, René Charles — RC — came and gave me his support.'
'And to present the award — the album of the year — to Taylor Swift — it was an honor because she's having the time of her life and I'm the one who's presenting it to her,' Dion added.
The star shocked fans as she showed up at the ceremony amid her battle with incurable stiff-person syndrome in order to present Taylor Swift with the album of the year award
'It made me feel better for a moment to hold onto this coat, to hide myself a little bit from all these little things,' she told Vogue in a recent Life in Looks series
'It was very nerve-wracking, but at the same time, a big honor,' she said about her appearance. 'That magic. That excitement. To see the fans, to see the crowd. To see show business again'
Celine looked stunning in a chiffon gown on the night
The star was seen happily posing with Taylor - despite the singer getting backlash from fans who accused her of 'ignoring' Celine her as she accepted her award
She also remarked on getting a standing ovation when the crowd saw her: 'It's always very, very touching when you have a standing ovation.'
During the ceremony Swift received backlash for being 'disrespectful' by 'ignoring' Celine while accepting the award for Album of the Year - which Celine herself won 27 years ago.
As Dion handed her the award, fans pointed out that Swift didn't acknowledge her and didn't make eye contact, quickly looking back to celebrate the moment with her collaborators instead.
However, there appeared to be no ill-feelings as the iconic pair later posed-up happily backstage.
The hitmaker, announced in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome - an extremely rare disorder that makes the muscles in the torso and limbs alternate between spasming and being rigid. She revealed she would be stepping away from performing.
Celine opened up about her health battle in a rare interview with Vogue France on Monday as she made her grand return to showbiz.
Asked how she is doing, she replied: 'I'm well, but it's a lot of work. I'm taking it one day at a time.'
Explaining how she manages the condition she explained: 'Five days a week I undergo athletic, physical and vocal therapy. I have to learn to live with it now and stop questioning myself.
The hitmaker announced in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome and said she would be stepping away from performing (pictured 2015)
'At the beginning I would ask myself: why me? How did this happen? What have I done? Is this my fault? Life doesn't give you any answers. You just have to live it!'
Celine added: 'I've 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. My goal is to see the Eiffel Tower again!'
Celine has also revealed whether she will ever take to the stage to perform again.
In her candid response she replied: 'I can't answer that.... Because for four years I've been saying to myself that I'm not going back, that I'm ready, that I'm not ready.
'As things stand, I can't stand here and say to you: 'Yes, in four months.' I don't know... My body will tell me.'
The star's fight to continue her career will be chronicled in new documentary, I Am: Celine Dion.
The new documentary - captured over more than a year of filming - follows the star as she battles to continue her normal life and career amid her diagnosis - and vows the condition 'won't define her' as she vows to raise awareness.
Dion said in a statement: 'This last couple of years has been such a challenge for me, the journey from discovering my condition to learning how to live with and manage it, but not to let it define me.
The star's fight to continue her career will be chronicled in new documentary, I Am: Celine Dion, set to be released onJune 25, 2024
'As the road to resuming my performing career continues, I have realized how much I have missed it, of being able to see my fans.
'During this absence, I decided I wanted to document this part of my life, to try to raise awareness of this little-known condition, to help others who share this diagnosis.'
A synopsis reads: 'From visiting her couture touring wardrobe and personal effects to spending time in the recording studio, the documentary captures a global megastar’s never-before-seen private life.
'An emotional, energetic, and poetic love letter to music, I Am: Celine Dion captures more than a year of filming as the legendary singer navigates her journey toward living an open and authentic life amidst illness.'
I Am: Celine Dion will be released on Tuesday, June 25, 2024.
STIFF-PERSON SYNDROME: INCURABLE NEUROLOGICAL CONDITION THAT LOCKS THE BODY
Stiff person syndrome is an extremely rare disorder that makes the muscles in the torso and limbs alternate between spasming and being rigid.
Estimates suggest it affects around 70 people in the UK and 330 in the US and remains little understood. Around twice as many women as men are hit with it.
The progressive disease sees patients' stiffness increase over time and can lead to them needing to use a wheelchair.
There tend to be three types of the syndrome:
- Classical person man syndrome: When rigidity and spasms are around the back and stomach, and occasionally thighs and neck. It can cause back curvature over time.
- Stiff limb syndrome: Spasms especially affect the legs and feet, occasionally causing them to become fixed in place. Hands can also be affected.
- Jerking stiff person syndrome: The rarest, most aggressive form, which includes symptoms from both the others, and also affects the head and eyes.
Experts do not know exactly what is behind the disease.
But they believe it may be caused by an autoimmune reaction, when the body attacks its own nerve cells that control muscle movement.
Around 40 per cent of sufferers also have type 1 diabetes, another autoimmune disease. Type 1 diabetes is particularly associated with classical person syndrome.
Other autoimmune conditions likevitiligo, which causes white patches of skin, and pernicious anemia are likewise associated with it.
It is also more common in people with breast, lung, kidney, thyroid or colon cancer, as well as lymphomas, but researchers do not yet know why.
In stiff person syndrome, the immune system attacks a protein that helps makegamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), which regulate motor neurons — the nerves that control movement.
Low levels of GABA cause the neurons to continuously fire when they are not supposed to, resulting in the spasms and rigidity.
What are its symptoms?
The main symptoms caused bystiff person syndrome are spasms and rigidity of the torso and limbs.
Spasms can be triggered by loud noises, with the condition also causing heightened sensitivity to sound.
Touch and emotional distress can also be felt more intensely as a result of the condition.
The spasms can be so severe they cause people to fall over or lead to difficulty walking and other disability.
Stress and anxiety are also usually higher in those with the condition, particularly because of the unpredictability of spasms.
The lack of GABA — which regulates anxiety — in their system also affects mental health.
