After years of opacity about her state of health, Celine Dion lifts the veil. The singer, who has postponed concerts on her Courage World Tour several times since 2020 without ever explaining why, revealed Thursday in a video message that she has “stiff man syndrome”: a “very rare neurological disorder that causes” muscle spasms “. as she described it. Disturbing news that Dr. Pierre-François Pradat, neurologist at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital in Paris (AP-HP), qualifies. If he admits that we cannot talk about a cure, “he evokes the many treatments capable to reduce symptoms:
“(There are) therapeutic resources, with treatments that reduce contracture, benzodiazepines, valium derivatives that work well,” said the specialist, a guest of BFMTV, on Thursday.
“It is a disease that belongs to the group of autoimmune diseases”, he continues. “We have treatments that act against this immune disorder, such as corticosteroids or immunosuppressants.” And to add a reassuring fact: “it is a disease that cannot be cured”. completely, (but) after a few years, in general, it stabilizes”.
Will Celine Dion, then, be able to return to the stage? “With proper treatment – and I have no doubt that she must have the best specialists – we can hope that her symptoms improve and that she can return to her previous autonomy.”
“dificulty to walk”
In her video message, the 54-year-old singer clarifies the symptoms she suffers from: “Sometimes I have a hard time walking and I can’t always use my vocal cords to sing as I would like,” she explains. Doctor Pradat accurately evokes the effects of this disease:
“Stiff man syndrome is aptly named: it will manifest itself in stiffness and also spasms. It affects people who were previously in good health, more often in their forties, as well as men than women.”
“This will initially result in stiffness in the muscles of the back so that the person will be attentive all the time. Gradually this stiffness of the muscles will potentially become general, not for all people, and can affect the muscles of the lower back. upper and lower back. lower limbs.”
Therefore, it is possible to imagine that Celine Dion is currently having “difficulty getting on stage”. She concludes: “It can potentially affect all the muscles, including those of speech – although it is much less frequent – and we can understand that it prevents you from singing.”
“He has been suffering for 10, 15 years”
The singer’s spasm problems were already known. Laurence Pieau, who recently co-signed the research book Celine Dion: The True Story (Robert Laffont) with Hervé Tropéa, explains to BFMTV that the physical suffering of the Quebec star is nothing new:
“She is someone who is in constant struggle with her body. She has been suffering for 10, 15 years. Those around her say they saw her wake up her masseuse at night, she constantly has a masseuse with her.
He often has a stiff neck, he pushes his body a lot during his concerts. A journalist tells us that she interviewed her after a show in Las Vegas; she had come in with her chiropractor struggling to walk.”
He concludes: “The Las Vegas scene is on a slope, she’s done 1,141 shows there over 16 years, in dizzying heels. Obviously, not good for the skeleton.”
contacts maintained
The star’s team clarified this Thursday that eight concerts scheduled for this summer -including the expected performance at the Vieilles Charrues de Carhaix (Finistère) festival- are cancelled. The Vieilles Charrues organization has already announced the refund of more than 55,000 tickets.
On the other hand, the production ensures that the other concerts announced between August 26 and October 4, 2023 -including the Parisian dates of their tour (September 1, 2, 5, 6, 9 and 10, 2023) are maintained. ).
Source: BFM TV
