HER HEART WILL GO ON

Lockdown forced her to finally deal with the grief of losing her husband five years ago – now Celine Dion feels ready to soar once more

- LINDSAY DE FREITAS

SHE was on stage barely a month after her husband died and didn’t stop in the four years that followed. A sell-out Las Vegas residency, a showstopper performance at the 2016 Billboard Music Awards, a 28-date tour of Europe and Canada, the release of a French-language album, a newfound love of avant-garde garb that dazzled crowds at high-end fashion shows – Celine Dion was all go, go, go.

Then the pandemic arrived – and for the first time since she lost her beloved René Angélil (73), her husband of 22 years and the driving force behind her music career, she had to confront her grief.

Gone were the flashing lights, the adoring fans, the punishing schedule. And in their place was time, her children and chance for introspection.

“Losing my husband, for my kids to lose their father, it was quite something,” a clearly emotional Celine told the Today Show’s Natalie Morales recently.

Performing and recording kept her mind off the heartache that had followed her around since René died of throat cancer in 2016 but she finally realised she needed to face it head-on and work through her pain.

Celine (53) also admits she struggled to find the confidence to manage her career after relying on René for so long.

René had been at the helm of Celine’s career since discovering the songbird with the five-octave voice as a 12-year-old, and his influence over her life and career was profound.

“Would he do that? Is this too edgy? Would he approve that?” she says.

Yet she says there came a point where she needed to accept his death. “It was time for me to take charge of my life.”