Celine Dion breaks down in tears as she opens up about the challenges she has faced after being diagnosed with stiff person syndrome (SPS) in a new trailer for her upcoming documentary.
Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Irene Taylor, I Am: Celine Dion will offer a behind-the-scenes look at the Canadian singer’s life since being diagnosed with the rare neurological condition and the lengths she has gone to to carry on performing.
The 56-year-old cancelled her Las Vegas residency due to health concerns in 2021, before revealing her SPS diagnosis in December 2022 and cancelling her Courage World Tour.
The trailer opens with a clip of Dion belting out a high note before her voiceover says: “My voice is the conductor of my life.
“When your voice brings you joy, you’re the best of yourself. I need my instrument.”
It then cuts to an emergency call being made before the singer, who is sat in a chair, says: “I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder and I wasn’t ready to say anything before, but I’m ready now.”
The teaser features a host of video snippets of Dion commanding the stage during her shows and recording in the studio as she reflects on her career.
“It’s not hard to do a show, you know. It’s hard to cancel a show,” she says in the two-minute trailer.
“I’m working hard everyday but I have to admit, it’s been a struggle.”
A tearful Dion adds: “I miss it so much. The people, I miss them.
“If I can’t run, I’ll walk. If I can’t walk, I’ll crawl. I won’t stop.”
The Prime Video documentary is billed as a “love letter to her fans” which will highlight “the music that has guided her life while also showcasing the resilience of the human spirit”.
The superstar, whose best known hits include My Heart Will Go On, Think Twice and It’s All Coming Back To Me Now, has sold more than 250 million albums during her 40-year career.
Dion has also earned five Grammys, two Oscars and the Billboard Music Award lifetime achievement icon award.
In a Vogue France cover story released last month she addressed returning to complete her world tour.
“For four years I’ve been saying to myself that I’m not going back, that I’m ready, that I’m not ready… As things stand, I can’t stand here and say to you ‘Yes, in four months’,” Dion told the magazine.
“I don’t know… My body will tell me. On the other hand, I don’t just want to wait. It’s morally hard to live from day to day.
“It’s hard, I’m working very hard and tomorrow will be even harder. Tomorrow is another day. But there’s one thing that will never stop, and that’s the will. It’s the passion. It’s the dream. It’s the determination,” she added.
The main symptoms of SPS are muscle stiffening and spasming and there is currently no cure for the disease, but there are ways for it to be treated – including through the use of muscle sedatives and relaxants.
Physical and occupational therapy is also a treatment route for people with SPS.
I Am: Celine Dion will stream globally on Prime Video on June 25.