When Céline Dion made a surprise appearance at the Grammy Awards in February 2024, she received a standing ovation — but also a lot of raised eyebrows, because she came onstage wearing a massive, mustard-yellow Valentino coat over her dress. Now we know why.
Céline’s appearance was a big deal, because it was one of the first times she’d been in front of people in such a public way since she’d announced her stiff-person syndrome diagnosis. In a video she made for Vogue, Celine explains, “It was very nerve-wracking, but at the same time, a big honor. That magic. That excitement. To see the fans, to see the crowd. To see show business again.”
“But it’s always very, very touching when you have a standing ovation,” she adds.
“It took a lot out of me,” Céline says of the appearance. “But my son came and gave me his support. And to present the Album of the Year to Taylor Swift, it’s an honor, because she’s having the time of her life and I’m the one presenting it to her.”
But what about her look? “I was like, ‘I can walk onstage with a coat?'” Céline recalls asking. And she remembers being told, “Oh yeah, you can do whatever you want in fashion. Just have a good time, wear that coat, own that coat, go for it!'”
“And it made me feel better for a moment to hold onto this coat, to hide myself a little bit, from all these little things,” she explains, before breaking into a chorus of her song, “Imperfections.”
Copyright © 2024, ABC Audio. All rights reserved.
