Singer Celine Dion spoke during an interview broadcast on the French channel TF1 on Sunday about her excessive intake of “very dangerous medications,” before the broadcast of a documentary that recounts her struggle with the disease that has kept her away from the stage for years.
The 56-year-old Canadian artist has been fighting for years against Stiff Person Syndrome (SPS), an autoimmune disease that has no known cure and causes severe pain, difficulty moving, and spasms. She has not been able to give any concert since 2020.
The Amazon Prime Video platform will broadcast this documentary, entitled “I: Celine Dion,” starting June 25.
The singer, who hails from Quebec, told the French television channel that when the pain became very strong, for a reason that Dion did not know until the end of 2022, “I canceled a lot of shows, found myself lying, taking medications… and trying an anti-inflammatory or anti-spasmodic or something like that.” .
She explained during this interview, which was recorded last May in Las Vegas, United States, “I started with small things, until I gave up… while taking very dangerous medications, to continue.”
In response to French journalist Anne-Claire Coudre’s question about whether she had taken the drug “Valium” (diazepam, a psychoactive benzodiazepine drug), Celine Dion replied, “Yes, among other medications.”
She added, “This happened without diagnosis. So, at first, it helped a little, but very quickly, the doses had to be increased,” and “When we reach a dangerous level of the drug without any effectiveness, we have two options: either we continue or we stop.” Stop breathing and it’s over.
The singer continued, saying, “Do not experience pain alone (…) Accept to talk about it, but also to consult” specialists.