It's all coming back to us now! Celine Dion has returned to the stage with a powerful performance at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games opening ceremony.
Performing Edith Piaf's "Hymme A L'amour" midway up the Eiffel Tower as the Olympic cauldron was lit, Celine wore a stunning white gown embellished with crystals and fringe detailing.
She styled her hair in a low chignon, and her performance was a stunning comeback for the singer, who had not performed in five years, with Celine appearing to well up with tears as the song came to a close.
© Jamie SquireThe opening ceremony saw the delegations float along the Seine in boats, instead of the usual walk through a stadium, before they arrived at the Eiffel Tower and grouped together outside Trocadero – the esplanade across from the Eiffel Tower – where the official protocols were carried out including the lighting of the cauldron.
Celine has been making a slow return to public life after making the heartbreaking decision in late 2022 to cancel her world tour after being diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome, a rare neurological disorder that causes muscle rigidity or spasms in the trunk and arm.
Those diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome often cannot walk by themselves, and are at risk of falls because they lack defensive reflexes to save themselves.
© OlympicsCeline revealed in 2022 that she first began noticing symptoms in 2008 but turned a blind eye. It wasn't until the COVID 19 pandemic that she felt she could take the time to explore conversations with doctors.
"I told myself the universe had sent me a sign with Covid: I needed to make the most of this time of rest to discover what was going on," she told VOGUE. "For years and years, I shut my eyes to it. I hid it from my friends, my family, my children… I held out for as long as possible. I needed to stop being so brave. I needed to take care of it."
© Bruce BennettIn the two years since she has made several public appearances, including singing "a few notes" at the end of 2023 when she attended the hockey game between the Vegas Golden Knights and the Montreal Canadiens.
She then made a grand return in front of her peers at the 2024 Grammys where handed Taylor Swift the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, and then shocked fans when she walked out on stage to announce a first round NHL draft pick for the Montreal Canadiens hockey team.
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"To make our 2024 first round selection, I am pleased to invite on stage our number one fan, the one, the only Celine Dion," said the Canadiens general manager Kent Hughes.
The crowd's cheers were loud as she walked out on stage hand in hand with her 23-year-old son Rene-Charles, and she couldn't keep the smile off her face, walking on stage before joking that she was "so excited, and I'm not even a hockey mom."
