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Celine Dion Is Planning a Surprise Return Performance Amid Health Battle, Hoda Kotb Says
Superstar Céline Dion sat down for an interview with Hoda Kotb back in June to discuss her struggle with a rare neurological disorder and the pressure it’s put on her career. Now, the Today show coanchor says Céline is planning a surprise comeback performance amid her health battle.
Hoda, 59, appeared on the Tuesday, July 9 episode of Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen, alongside her Today coanchor Savannah Guthrie. Hoda told host Andy Cohen that Céline’s manager was just off camera communicating with the singer during their interview.
“I was like, ‘So what’s going on? When are you performing again?’ And she goes, ‘Can I tell her?’” Hoda told Andy, 59. ” And her manager goes, ‘No!’ He screams, ‘No.’ I was like, there’s something.”
When pressed for more details, Céline, 56, and her team remained tight-lipped, but they had already sparked a wave of speculation.
A WWHL caller floated the Paris Olympics, set to open on July 26, as a potential return venue and power move for the star, who built her $550 million net worth by performing at an exhausting pace of 70 shows per year.
“That would be amazing, but I don’t know,” Hoda responded.
Savannah, 52, nearly begged, “It has to be the Paris Olympics. That would be incredible.”
Andy attempted to tamp down on the rampant speculation, leaving Hoda to reassure the audience that Céline has found manageable medication approaches with her doctors, leaving room for a dramatic comeback.
The Canadian singer revealed to fans she suffered from the debilitating condition stiff person syndrome in December 2022. According to the Stiff Person Syndrome Foundation, the disease affects the central nervous system, specifically targeting the brain and spinal cord, which can leave those battling it “disabled, wheelchair bound or bed-ridden, unable to work and care for themselves.”
“Unfortunately, these spasms affect every aspect of my daily life,” Céline posted on Instagram at the time. “Sometimes causing difficulties when I walk and not allowing me to use my vocal cords to sing the way I’m used to.”
Apparently, Céline has been underplaying the extent of her suffering until recently. During her appearance on WWHL, Hoda revealed that the star described singing with the condition felt, “like being strangled.”
“First of all,” Hoda added, “she’s an incredible fighter. I had no idea what she had been through, how close she came at some point to actually not surviving it.”
The pain from her disorder has been affecting Céline’s life for years. “She would sing her songs and then she would take the microphone and put it out to the crowd… to get a break,” Hoda said, “Her fans were helping her.”
It eventually became so unbearable Céline was forced to cancel or postpone her live shows from about mid-2023 onward, giving a touching performance of “My Heart Will Go On” as her last. Though, it now sounds like her hiatus may be at an end.
Since revealing her diagnosis, the singer has received support from all corners of the A-list roster. Titanic stars Leonardo Dicaprio and Kate Winslet are “cheering on the courage and candor she has shown,” a source exclusively told In Touch on Tuesday.
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