Celine Dion has given her first live public performance since revealing she is living with stiff person syndrome (SPS), with a spectacular rendition from the Eiffel Tower at the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
The superstar closed the ceremony from the first stage of the French landmark, singing Edith Piaf’s L’Hymne A L’Amour.
The Canadian singer 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.
She has not performed in public since.
She appeared in the final moments of the Olympics pageantry dressed in a beaded silver gown with a high neckline and appeared emotional as she came to the climax of the song.
Dion’s rare condition which causes progressive muscular inflexibility.
Her struggles are documented in her 2024 documentary I Am: Celine Dion, in which she spoke about her desire to return to performing.
Earlier in the ceremony US singer Lady Gaga surprised viewers by singing in French during her performance of the classic Mon Truc En Plume.
The singer, real name Stefani Germanotta, performed next to the River Seine, near the Notre Dame cathedral, during the first opening ceremony to be staged outside a stadium.
As the ceremony moved down the river, it paid tribute to the country’s culture and history including Les Miserables, the popular novel by Victor Hugo, which is also a smash hit musical.
Following a sequence paying homage to the historical epic, French heavy metal band Gojira performed at the Conciergerie, a former courthouse and prison in the city.
Among the other performers was French-Malian singer Aya Nakamura, who sang while dressed in a golden dress paired with gladiator boots and gold jewellery.
The celebrations were met with heavy rain with performers, including pianist Alexandre Kantorow, braving heavy showers during their performances.
A catwalk show of French fashions was also a rather soggy affair.
Other performances included Sofiane Pamart and Juliette Armanet delivering a rendition of John Lennon’s Imagine.
A total of 85 boats carried the team delegations on a four-mile journey through the centre of Paris, with more than 300,000 spectators lining the banks of the river.
Great Britain flagbearers Tom Daley and Helen Glover waved to the crowds as the British delegation sailed down the river while Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was among those watching from the main stadium in the Jardins du Trocadero.
Celebrities including Wicked star Ariana Grande and American singer Pharrell Williams appeared at a red carpet event prior to the ceremony.
