Céline Dion's Major Weight Loss Confirms Suspicions

Dec 07, 2021

Céline Dion is a pinnacle name when it comes to the music industry. Her unique vocal tone and impressive singing abilities have helped the star catapult herself into a lifetime of fame and success, with a career spanning four decades. Dion’s musical style has grown over the years, while still staying pretty consistent to the genres of pop, soft rock and chanson, French songs that are lyrically-driven. Some of her most famous songs include “The Power of Love, “It’s All Coming Back To Me Now” and “My Heart Will Go On.”

Dion’s discography has shown the trials and tribulations of relationships, through the most beautiful love stories to the hardest moments of heartbreak. Facing some hardships herself, Dion has been able to immerse herself into her work and showcase a genuineness through the lyrics and melodies. The entertainer faced one of the most challenging heartaches she ever had to deal with when her husband, Rene Angélil, died in 2016.

The heartbreak Dion had to face when she lost her husband is something the singer has been struggling with since. Being in the spotlight for such a long period of time is sure to be taxing on anyone, especially someone who is already facing such a hardship. For Dion, she has been dealing with her heartache for quite some time now, and the physical effects have started to show. Although Dion has remained strong and has continued to work to continue her career and relationship with her fans, the singer has been losing more and more weight, and her powerful voice has been overtaken by her small frame.

Dion was born March 30, 1968 in Charlemagne, Quebec, Canada, into a large family. She was the youngest of 14 children, and her parents were both of French-Canadian descent. The now incredulous singer was named after French singer Hugues Aufray’s song “Céline.” As she was constantly surrounded by music and people who expressed such love for the art, it was no surprise when she wanted to pursue it as a career. Luckily, Dion had the vocal talent and agility, and a special quality to her voice that helped her stand out.

In August 1973, Dion made her first appearance as a performer at her brother Michel’s wedding. She continued to work on her talent throughout her childhood, and later wrote and composed her first song when she was 12-years-old. Michel then sent the recording to Angélil, a music manager who would later become Dion’s husband. Swept away by the young girl’s abilities, Angélil funded her first record and took her on as a client. “La voix du bon Dieu” later became a No. 1 hit in Quebec, helping Dion launch herself into stardom.

Although Dion had continued to make her presence known across Canada, she hadn’t reached a huge level of success yet. She switched up her image to help make her more marketable worldwide and underwent dental surgery. Dion was also sent to the Berlitz Corporation, a language education and leadership training company based in Princeton, New Jersey, in 1989. This helped Dion better understand and speak the English language, which was also done to help make her more marketable overseas.

All of her hard work and time spent on perfecting not only her voice but her image paid off. Dion's international breakthrough happened a few years later when she duetted with Peabo Bryson on the title track for “Beauty and the Beast” in 1991. The song was featured in the Disney animated film, and became a success for Dion and her career, serving as the lead single on her 1992 self-titled album. The song continued to help Dion push her career forward, earning the singer her very first Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal in 1993.

Language proved to be no barrier for the star, as she released music in both English and French and continued to show off her stunning vocal skills. Love and romance were the consistent themes throughout Dion’s discography, and she even brought her personal romantic feelings into her musical projects. 

In 1993, she announced her feelings for Angélil, who was still working as her manager, in the dedication section of her album “The Colour of My Love.” Fans embraced the relationship, as Dion appeared to be happy and very much in love with Angélil. The couple later got married during a beautiful wedding ceremony on Dec. 17, 1994, which was broadcast on live Canadian television.

“The Colour of My Love” became Dion’s most successful piece of work up until that point. The album sold more than six million copies in the United States and more than two million copies in Canada. The album also earned the singer her first first No. 1 single in the United States, Canada and Australia, with “The Power of Love.”

Although most of her music has been in the pop, soft rock or chanson genres, Dion has also been inspired by other styles of music and has interwoven them into her works. Her music has contained influences of R&B, gospel, rock and classical throughout her lengthy discography, with most of her songs being sung in either English or French. The 1996 release of Dion’s fourth English-language album “Falling into You” also contained elements of African chanting, orchestral sounds and other musical effects. The album provided some of Dion’s most iconic tracks in her range, including “It’s All Coming Back to Me Now,” “Because You Loved Me” and a remake of Eric Carmen’s “All By Myself.”

Dion’s career had taken off to a new level, and her fame and success throughout the 1990s persisted as she worked on more projects. “Let’s Talk About Love” seemed to be the sequel album to “Falling into You,” and helped Dion solidify her spot as an international star. It broke records across the world and earned the singer worldwide success. From that album spanned one of the most well-known and recognized love songs of all time, “My Heart Will Go On.” The song was featured in the film “Titanic,” helping it earn even more recognition as fans fell in love with it in multiple facets, making it one of Dion’s most signature songs of her entire career. Dion later won two Grammy Awards in 1999 for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance and the highly-acclaimed Record of the Year.

After reaching new heights in the 1990s, Dion took a break to focus on her personal life. Her husband had been suffering some serious health issues as he was diagnosed with esophageal cancer in 1999. Angélil made a full recovery after treatment, and later in 2009 appeared in Simple Plan’s music video for “Save Me” as a cancer survivor. The song was about the band’s lead singer, Pierre Bouvier, dealing with his own brother’s cancer diagnosis.

Finally having time to themselves, Dion and Angélil were ready to start their own family together. Dion underwent fertility treatments and gave birth to her first child, Rene-Charles Dion Angélil, on Jan. 25, 2001, in Florida. Dion re-entered the spotlight a couple years later, and has continued to make music since. The star and her husband had two other children together, twins Eddy and Nelson Angélil, born Oct. 23, 2010. 

During an interview with Woman’s Weekly in December 2013, Dion talked about her lifetime of fame and all of her greatest achievements. “My greatest reward is my children,” the singer said. “It felt for me that with all my children another heart grew inside of me.” Dion continued to talk about her personal experiences as a mother, and what motherhood has meant to her. “It gives you true meaning to your life and it’s the most important job,” she said. 

Although she received some harsh criticism in the past about her musical career, nothing has been able to hinder Dion’s personal views about herself as a parent. “Who cares if people like me as a singer or not, they can find other singers and there will be other singers,” she explained. “But no other mother can be a better mother for my children than me.”

The songstress has used her platform for the betterment of others, and has helped with talking about the dangers of bullying. Dion revealed that she was a victim of bullying in a video released by Fondation Jasmin Roy in March 2014. The video was part of a campaign to help teachers and educators in Canada address and eradicate the problem of bullying at school. A translation was released through the Canadian version of Hello Magazine a day after the video’s release.

“A child shouldn’t be scared to go to school,” Dion said. “Fear can destroy dreams.” Along with facing her own bullies during her time at school, Dion has now had to watch her children experience similar issues, and has made an effort to help them through their tough times. “As a mother, I can also understand the despair of parents who can no longer see light in their child’s eyes, or joy in their child’s heart, because they have no friends at school,” she explained.

At the end of the powerful video, Dion raised her hand and declared: “I say ‘no’ to bullying.”

With a longtime romantic relationship with her husband, a budding family and an ever-evolving career, it seemed like nothing could break Dion. However, her world came crashing down when Angélil faced yet another cancer scare. He had surgery in December 2013 for his throat cancer, and stepped down as Dion’s manager six months later. Angélil's cancer worsened as time went on. He died on Jan. 14, 2016, from throat cancer, just two days before his 74th birthday.

Although Dion stayed strong as she grieved the loss of her husband, she had started to look very thin and frail. She performed “My Heart Will Go On” and the cover of Queen’s “The Show Must Go On” at the Billboard Music Awards in May 2016, just a few months after Angélil's death. Dion also received the Billboard Icon Award at the ceremony, presented by her son Rene-Charles.

Dion has always been in good shape as the singer has spent hours upon hours rehearsing and dancing for her various tours over the span of her career. Critics became skeptical of the star as she continued to lose weight following Angélil's death. However, Dion has continued to shut rumors down and has revealed how she changed her appearance.

In January 2021, Hype Life Magazine reported that Dion’s new image came from a newfound passion for ballet. The singer had recently added the sport “to her already rigorous dance training sessions,” according to Hype Life.

Hype Life also reported that Angélil continued to give Dion strength even after his passing. “He gave me so much strength through all these years,” Dion said about her late husband. “And so much for me to explore, for me now to spread my wings.”

In the past, Dion admitted to being uncomfortable in her own skin while she was growing up, according to an article from the Canadian version of Hello Magazine. Dion appeared to address her personal insecurities through the song “Imperfections,” off her 2019 album “Courage.” Although the songstress didn’t partake in the songwriting portion of the song, the lyrics sounded real and genuine when she sang them. She sang, “I got my own imperfections, I got my own set of scars to hide,” throughout the English, adult-contemporary track. 

The song’s accompanying music video was released Sept. 26, 2019, and highlighted Dion’s love for fashion. The entire video was shot in black and white and showcased scenes of Dion wearing luxurious and extravagant clothing juxtaposed with other scenes of the singer removing her makeup. With sincerity flowing through the song, the video for “Imperfections” was both artistic and vulnerable.

During an interview with Entertainment Tonight in September 2019, Dion addressed anyone who had previously been shaming her for the way her body looks. “Is there anything wrong about my body?” Dion asked and held up her arm to flex her muscles. The icon went on to explain how normal it is for your appearance to change as you get older. “When I was 12-years-old my face was rounder because you have more fat and you’re younger, but I’ve always been very thin,” Dion said.

Having been in the spotlight for many years now, Dion has grown accustomed to constant feedback and criticism, and has learned to understand that it’s all part of the job. “If you don’t want to be criticized, you are in the wrong place,” she said.

Time in the spotlight can be both amazing and difficult. Although Dion has experienced incredible peaks throughout her career and has continued to show off her beautiful and powerful voice, she has been met with plenty of backlash and criticism over the years. The singer has dealt with personal insecurities, struggles and heartache.

Dion has always been thin, but seemed to keep shedding pounds after suffering such a huge heartache. The singer has credited her weight loss and thin frame to her love of ballet, and has even tried to put a stop to any serious rumors that have come her way.

What do you think about Céline Dion and her recent weight loss? Let us know, and be sure to send this to your friends and family for their thoughts, too.