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Most Shocking Revelations Celine Dion Makes In Her Documentary
It was only in August 2022 that Titanic singer Celine Dion was diagnosed with the rare autoimmune disease Stiff-person syndrome which she revealed in December of that year.
As the name suggests, I Am Celine Dion is a documentary chronicling the Canadian singer’s music journey and struggles with Stiff-person syndrome that premiered on Amazon Video Prime on June 25. Popular as the Queen of Power Ballads, the 56-year-old who has always outshined everybody and only exuded magic on stage and in music videos, has shown herself as a human in the documentary.
It was only in August 2022 that Dion was diagnosed with SPS which she revealed in December of that year. The rare autoimmune neurological disorder is an “incurable, rare, progressive neurological disorder,” as stated by the US government’s official website, the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.
Directed by Irene Taylor, the documentary gives glimpses of Dion’s daily struggles with the disease and simultaneously working. Let’s take a look at some of the most shocking revelations in I Am Celine Dion documentary.
Celine Dion’s voice has changed over the years
Though she was diagnosed with SPS in her 50s, she experienced the first symptoms and spasms nearly two decades ago. In the documentary, she recalls facing trouble singing higher notes during vocal warmups and her voice would crack. “It freaked me out a little bit,” says Dion.
The five-time Grammy winner goes on to say that although her lungs function normally when she breathes, occasionally the muscles in front of them tighten up, making it difficult for her to sing. She attempts to belt the high notes in I Want to Know What Love Is, but her voice becomes scratchy during the section, which is “very difficult” for her to hear and show to her fans, she said. “I don’t want people to hear that.”
As Dion admits in the documentary "My voice was the conductor of my life," her emotional reaction makes sense. She was also aware of other people’s expectations of her. She recalls, "There have been times when I would go to the studio and I knew they wanted 'Celine Dion' and she didn't want to let them down.
It’s a challenge for Celine Dion to return to recording studio
“Emotionally, it’s very difficult. I will in the next few minutes find strength, and if it cracks and it doesn’t work, there’s nothing I can do,” says Dion. Her first-ever visit to the recording studio is one of the most captivating scenes in the documentary. Despite the serene and secluded setting of the booth, Dion is visibly attempting to talk herself out of her anxiety.
Though she sounds assuring when she says sounding assured, “I will in the next few minutes find strength, and if it cracks and it doesn’t work, there’s nothing I can do,” but the longer the session goes on, the more agitated she becomes. When she returns to the studio the following day, she is not happy with what she had recorded and gives it another try. On some days she falls short of her usual nailing performance, on others she is satisfied.
ALSO READ: I Am Celine Dion Documentary: What Is A Stiff-Person Syndrome? Explained
Celine Dion suffers from episodes of intense seizures
Touted to be one of the most emotional scenes of the documentary, Dion suffers spasms on camera and her body stiffens. The scene is on air because Dion and the makers wanted “to really show and really validate her suffering.”
In the scene, as Dion heads to one of her physical therapy sessions, she is reportedly so emotionally and psychologically overstimulated during her recording session that it causes her body to stiffen. Dion's trainer and an EMT rush to her rescue as she lies immobilized in pain and the entire time, the camera follows her as she gradually regains consciousness.
Since the team had been filming for eight months at the time already and Dion had instructed to “film everything” they chose to keep the cameras on throughout her therapy session. Even later when Dion saw a rough cut of the documentary she reportedly mentioned that it would help her and instructed Taylor to not edit this particular scene.
Celine Dion’s dependence on medicines and ‘lied’ to audiences
There was a time when Dion said she “needed medicine to function.” She recalls consuming 80-90 mg of Valium daily to perform without experiencing her symptoms. However, on occasion, the medication would wear off before she reached the stage, so she would take more after changing into her clothes and warming up.
Dion was skilled at covering up her voice cracks when performing live. She would efficiently have the audience sing the lyrics to her while pointing the microphone at the crowd. If her voice broke during a song, she would occasionally even tap the microphone to make it look like the equipment was to blame. Dion remarks, “The lie is too heavy right now.”
ALSO READ: I Am Celine Dion Documentary: What Is A Stiff-Person Syndrome? Explained
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