Celine Dion says her medical team will continue to evaluate her condition and provide what treatment it can. Photo / Getty Images
Celine Dion has been diagnosed with an incurable condition.
The star, 54, revealed in an emotional Instagram post that she has stiff person syndrome (SPS), which causes sufferers’ muscles to uncontrollably seize up.
It can leave people with the neurological condition unable to walk or talk.
“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,” she said.
“As you know I’ve always been an open book and I wasn’t ready to say anything before but I’m ready now.
“I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time and its been really difficult for me to face my challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through.
“Recently I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the stiff person syndrome which affects 1 in a million people
“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 continued: “Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal chords to sing the way im used to.
“It hurts me to tell you today that this means I won’t be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February.
“I have a great team of doctors working alongside me to help me get better and my precious children who are supporting me and giving me help.
“I’m working hard with my sports medicine therapist every day to build back my strength and my ability to perform again but I have to admit it’s been a struggle.
“All I know is singing it’s what I’ve done all my life and it’s what I love to do the most.
“I miss you so much. I miss seeing all of you being on the stage performing for you.
“I always give 100 per cent when I do my show but my condition is now allowing me to give you that right now.
“For me to reach you again I have no choice but to concentrate on my health at this moment and I have hope that im 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.”
Celine first sparked fears about her health at the start of the year when she cancelled the North American leg of her Courage tour from March 9 to April 22.
She also had to cancel her return to Las Vegas, where she has previously held a series of residencies at Caesars Palace.
A statement on Celine’s website said she “recently has been treated for severe and persistent muscle spasms which are preventing her from performing, and her recovery is taking longer than she hoped”.
“Her medical team continues to evaluate and treat the condition.”
Celine says in the statement: “I was really hoping that I’d be good to go by now, but I suppose I just have to be more patient and follow the regimen that my doctors are prescribing.
“There’s a lot of organising and preparation that goes into our shows, and so we have to make decisions today which will affect the plans two months down the road. I’ll be so glad to get back to full health, as well as all of us getting past this pandemic, and I can’t wait to be back on stage again.
“Meanwhile, I’ve been very touched by all the words of encouragement that everyone’s been sending to me on social media. I feel your love and support and it means the world to me.”
Celine’s life has been marked by tragedy in recent years.
Her husband Rene Angelil died aged 73 in 2016.
Two days later, her brother Daniel died from throat cancer.
She has three children with Rene - Rene-Charles, 21, and twins Nelson and Eddy, 12.
Celine and Rene met when she was 12 and he was 38.
He became her manager and they started dating when she was 19 and he was 45.
Their relationship only became public in 1993 and they married a year later.
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