Celine Dion shocks Grammys audience with surprise appearance following incurable diagnosis

Celine Dion stunned the audience at the Grammy Awards when she made a surprise appearance on stage after being diagnosed with an incurable health condition in 2022.

At the end of the ceremony on Sunday (4 February), Dion, 55, walked on stage to present the final award of the night, Album of the Year, while her hit “The Power of Love” played. The audience immediately gave the singer a standing ovation as some stars sang along to the legendary song.

It is the singer’s first stage appearance since she revealed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome – an autoimmune and neurological disorder that causes rigidity in the torso and limbs – and subsequently cancelled her world tour.

Dion presented the Album of the Year Grammy to Taylor Swift for Midnights, which is Swift’s fourth win in the category. The Canadian star also took a moment to acknowledge the music legends Diana Ross and Sting, who had presented her with the same award 27 years ago.

“Thank you all, I love you right back,” she told the crowd.

“When I say I’m happy to be here, I really mean it from my heart. Those who have been blessed enough to be here at the Grammy Awards must never take for granted the tremendous love and joy that music brings to our lives and to people all around the world."

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Fans were also delighted to see Dion arrive on stage. One wrote on Twitter/X: “I tell you, Celine Dion has been through a lot lately. So, it’s so good to see her standing here. She looks so good.”

Last week, it was announced that Amazon-MGM will release a new documentary about Dion to raise awareness about Stiff Person Syndrome.

I Am: Céline Dion will focus on a year in the life of the singer as she lives and deals with the condition.

In a statement, Dion said: “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.

“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 help others who share this diagnosis.”

Dion added that she hopes the film will “raise awareness of this little-known condition”.

In December 2022, the “All By Myself” singer posted an emotional video to her Instagram page explaining that she had been diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, which she says affects “every aspect of my daily life”.

She said that the rare condition has been causing muscle spasms which affect her ability to perform and sing. “I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time and it’s been really difficult for me to face my challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through,” Dion said in a teary-eyed video.

She continued: “Recently I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the Stiff Person Syndrome which affects one in a million people.

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“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.”

The singer also cancelled eight of her summer shows scheduled for 2023 and rescheduled her Spring 2023 shows to 2024.

“I miss you so much,” the singer told fans. “I always give 100 per cent when I do my shows but my condition is not allowing me to give that to you right now”.

However, Dion assured fans that she has a “great team of doctors” working hard to help her get better, but admitted it has been a “struggle”.