Céline Dion’s new documentary shows heartbreaking footage of a singer suffering a 10-minute epileptic seizure

Published: 1:35 p.m. PDT, June 25, 2024

Celine Dion shows all the toughest moments in her fight with Stiff Person Syndrome (PLC).

In her new documentary I am: Celine Dionthe GRAMMY winner is seen in moments of tremendous pain and even in a surprise seizure that lasts several minutes.

“I don’t know how to put it, it’s just… you know, like you’re not in control of yourself?” she says to the cameras.

In December 2022, Dion announced that she had been officially diagnosed with SPS, a rare autoimmune disease, after months of battling health issues including muscle cramps and stiffness.

According to the Mayo ClinicStiff person syndrome is “a rare disorder of motor function characterized by involuntary stiffness of the axial muscles and overlying painful muscle spasms, often precipitated by startle or emotional stimuli.”

I am: Celine Dion doesn’t shy away from showing Dion’s new reality surrounding her illness, as she tries to live and perform as normal but is occasionally incapacitated by frightening seizures.

During one moment in the documentary, the 56-year-old singer is paralyzed for several minutes after a medical examination when she suffers a full-body seizure.

“Part of the disease is that once a contraction occurs, sometimes you don’t understand the signal to release the contraction and so you just stay in the tense position,” explains sports medicine specialist Terrill Lobo.

The medical team treats Dion with Valium and nasal spray, but when her symptoms persist and even worsen, they have to consider taking her to the hospital, otherwise she may have a “crisis”.

Paralyzed but sobbing, Dion signals to one of the medical team members by squeezing their hand until she can move again. When she regains her physical functions, the singer tells her team that she is “so embarrassed” by such incidents.

Since announcing her SPS diagnosis, Dion has spoken openly with her fans about how the disease has affected her life and career – and is effusive in her gratitude for the support she has received every step of the way.

She was forced cancel their Courage World Tourwhich resumed in 2022 after a COVID-related break, but she has made several public appearances in recent months, including a surprising moment on stage at the 2024 GRAMMYs and several trips to Hockey games with her sons.

Earlier this month, before the documentary’s premiere, Dion met with Today‘s Hoda Kotb for an interview about her condition and speaks openly on camera about the trials she has had to endure since her diagnosis.

The singer said that she first started to experience stiff person syndrome in her throat – a tightening of the muscles that made her feel like someone was strangling her when she sang. It also caused cramps in her abdomen, spine, ribs and limbs. Dion noted that the condition can manifest itself as cramps in the limbs in certain positions, such as when cooking or pointing her toes.

The cramps sometimes got so bad that the singer broke ribs. But perhaps keeping her condition a secret was even more painful for the singer. Dion told Kotb she felt like she was “lying to the people who got me to where I am today,” adding that there was a time when “I couldn’t do it anymore.”

“I should have stopped and taken the time to figure it out,” she lamented. “I had to raise my children. I had to hide. I had to try to be a hero. I felt my body leaving me and I was holding on to my own dreams. And the lie was for me – the burden was just too much.”

I am: Celine Dion is now streaming on Prime Video.

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