Celine Dion reveals latest secret health scare that led to cancelled Eurovision performance

Celine Dion has confirmed that she was supposed to perform at the Eurovision Song Contest in Basel earlier this year, but a secret health scare stopped her from getting on stage.

The 57-year-old singer, who won the contest for Switzerland in 1988, appeared on screen during the first semi-final this year but not on stage or at the final, despite being in Basel at the time.

As part of a new documentary celebrating the 30th anniversary of her album D'eux, Celine, 57, has now revealed that she was in Basel so that she could perform at the Eurovision final but a secret health scare forced her to pull out at the last minute.

During the semi-final, Celine appeared on screen to tell viewers that she would "love nothing more" than to be at the contest.

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"Dear Eurovision family and contestants. I'd love nothing more than to be with you in Basel right now. Switzerland will forever hold a special place in my heart. It's a country that believed in me and gave me the chance to be part of something so extraordinary.

"Winning the Eurovision song contest for Switzerland in 1988 was a life-changing moment for me and I'm so thankful for everyone who supported me."

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Fans suspected she might perform in person at the final when her private jet was spotted in Basel. Only hours before the show, Eurovision's Director Martin Green CBE also hinted at a physical appearance from the singer. When asked if she would perform, he responded: "Father Christmas exists, and you'll have to wait and see."

But Celine did not perform or attend the Grand Final. French news site Le Parisien has reported that she was supposed to sing her winning Eurovision song, Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi, and an excerpt was even played in rehearsals.

However, when she got to the venue, Celine suffered from a seizure that prevented her from singing and she had to leave. There was a tribute to the singer, performed by four of 2024's contestants, instead.

Celine has been living with stiff person syndrome, a rare nerve disorder, since 2022 and it has greatly affected her health and ability to perform. In 2024, she was able to appear on top of the Eiffel Tower for the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics in Paris but the year before, she had to cancel several dates from her Courage World Tour as she was suffering from spasms.

News of her health struggles came after a challenging decade for her, which included the loss of her 73-year-old husband to throat cancer in 2016, leaving her to bring up their three sons on her own.

Reports have recently said Celine is recovering well and "gently rehearsing" to perform again. "She's doing great, her health is on track and she's hitting the high notes again," said an insider to RadarOnline.com.

"She's gently rehearsing at home and continuing with her physical therapy to treat her SPS. She's moving around pretty good, and her voice sounds wonderful, thanks to all the vocal exercises she's been doing."

"People can't believe she's doing so well so soon. Of course, she still has her bad days, but she's getting stronger."

In a conversation with Vogue, Celine shared her experience of first noticing the symptoms of her illness while on the Taking Chances tour in 2008. “I started having trouble controlling my voice. It would go high and then spasm. As a singer, you immediately go to the ENT,” she recalled.

Despite undergoing thorough examinations, doctors couldn’t find any issues with her vocal cords. When she finally received a diagnosis, Celine was surprisingly relieved. "It might sound strange, but when I was diagnosed, I felt a sense of relief. It meant I could finally stop fighting the illness and start working with it," she said.

Sharing her condition with the public lifted a huge weight off her shoulders. "It’s been a heavy burden, but now that it’s out in the open, I can focus on my reality, and that’s been so liberating. My happiness has returned."

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