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Celine Dion shared a poignant throwback photo of herself as a young girl standing in front of the Eiffel Tower in Paris, taken decades before her triumphant return to live performances at the Paris Olympics last week.
The Canadian star left fans in tears as she performed from the French landmark during the Olympics opening ceremony on Friday (26 July), singing a rendition of Edith Piaf’s “L’Hymne à l’amour”.
It marked Dion’s first performance since 2022, when she was forced to cancel her world tour after being diagnosed with Stiff Person Syndrome, a rare and incurable disorder that causes rigidity in the torso and limbs, along with painful muscle spasms.
At the concert, she wore a glittering white gown as she sang in front of a grand piano while the rain poured down around her.
The “My Heart Will Go On” star has previously said that, at its worst, the condition makes it feel as though someone is pushing down on her larynx and pharynx when she is trying to sing.
Over the weekend, she shared a number of glowing reactions to her Paris show, including an ESPN post that shared a photo of her as a teenager standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, alongside one of her singing underneath it as an adult.
The image was captioned: “How it started... How it’s going.”
Dion, 56, made the pledge in her recent documentary that she would one day return to Paris, as she was filmed during rehabilitation and singing sessions. The throwback photo also featured, along with a number of archive clips of her as an aspiring artist.
In an earlier Instagram post, Dion said that she was “full of joy” to be back in one of her favourite cities.
“Most of all, I’m so happy to be celebrating these amazing athletes, with all their stories of sacrifice and determination, pain and perseverance,” she said.
“All of you have been so focused on your dream, and whether or not you take home a medal, I hope that being here means that it has come true for you!”
She continued: “You should all be so proud, we know how hard you have worked to be the best of the best. Stay focused, keep going, my heart is with you!”
Many viewers watching the ceremony from home congratulated Dion for her incredible efforts, admitting that she had brought them to tears.
“Celine Dion with one of the most beautiful performances you will ever see,” one fan wrote. “With all that she has been [through] she has me in tears.”
Another wrote that Dion’s performance was “totally worth the wait”.
The Independent’s TV critic Nick Hilton singled Dion out as a rare silver lining from a “washout” opening ceremony with “too much filler, too little killer”.
