Celine Dion, the French-Canadian singer best known for songs such as All By Myself and My Heart Will Go On, has revealed she has an incurable neurological disease called stiff person syndrome.
The syndrome, also called Moersch-Woltman syndrome and formerly stiff man syndrome, affects one in a million people. It is a rare autoimmune movement disorder that affects the central nervous system, according to Cleveland Clinic.
People with this condition experience a stiffening of the muscles in the trunk, then the development of stiffness and rigidity in the legs and other muscles in the body. It can also cause painful muscle spasms that occur randomly or triggered by noise, emotional distress and physical touch, says the clinic's description.
There is no cure, but treatments can slow its progression.
Dion told fans about the diagnosis in a tearful video she shared on Instagram on Thursday, also revealing she's had to cancel her European tour.
"Hello everyone, I'm sorry it's taken me so long to reach out to you. I miss you all so much and can’t wait to be on stage talking to you in person," she said.
"As you know, I’ve always been an open book and I wasn’t ready to say anything before but I'm ready now.
"I’ve been dealing with problems with my health for a long time and it's been really difficult for me to face my challenges and to talk about everything that I’ve been going through.
"Recently, I’ve been diagnosed with a very rare neurological disorder called the stiff person syndrome which affects one in a million people
"While we’re still learning about this rare condition, we now know this is what’s been causing all the spasms I’ve been having."
Dion explains the spasms affect "every aspect" of her daily life, making it difficult for her to walk and use her vocal chords.
"It hurts me to tell you today that this means I won’t be ready to restart my tour in Europe in February," she added.
"I have a great team of doctors working alongside me to help me get better and my precious children who are supporting me and giving me help.
"I'm working hard with my sports medicine therapist every day to build back my strength and my ability to perform again, but I have to admit it’s been a struggle.
"All I know is singing, it’s what I’ve done all my life and its what I love to do the most."
The singer also said she has "hope" that she's "on the road to recovery" and that she's doing everything she can to recuperate.
The cause of stiff person syndrome is unknown, but twice as many women are diagnosed as men, says Cleveland Clinic.
Symptoms can occur at any age but usually develop between 30 and 60 and it's more likely seen in people with other autoimmune disorders such as diabetes or thyroiditis and certain cancers including breast, lung and kidney.
Dion first implied she had health issues in January when she cancelled the North American dates for her Courage World Tour, which was meant to run from March 9 to April 22. Three months ago, she'd had to cancel the start of her Las Vegas comeback, again citing health concerns.
SQUADS
South Africa:
JP Duminy (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock (wkt), AB de Villiers, Robbie Frylinck, Beuran Hendricks, David Miller, Mangaliso Mosehle (wkt), Dane Paterson, Aaron Phangiso, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Tabraiz Shamsi
Bangladesh
Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Imrul Kayes, Liton Das (wkt), Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mominul Haque, Mushfiqur Rahim (wkt), Nasir Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shafiul Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Taskin Ahmed
Fixtures
Oct 26: Bloemfontein
Oct 29: Potchefstroom
How to apply for a drone permit
- Individuals must register on UAE Drone app or website using their UAE Pass
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What are the regulations?
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The specs
Engine: 3.8-litre, twin-turbo V8
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 582bhp
Torque: 730Nm
Price: Dh649,000
On sale: now
Dubai Bling season three
Cast: Loujain Adada, Zeina Khoury, Farhana Bodi, Ebraheem Al Samadi, Mona Kattan, and couples Safa & Fahad Siddiqui and DJ Bliss & Danya Mohammed
Rating: 1/5
Who has been sanctioned?
Daniella Weiss and Nachala
Described as 'the grandmother of the settler movement', she has encouraged the expansion of settlements for decades. The 79 year old leads radical settler movement Nachala, whose aim is for Israel to annex Gaza and the occupied West Bank, where it helps settlers built outposts.
Harel Libi & Libi Construction and Infrastructure
Libi has been involved in threatening and perpetuating acts of aggression and violence against Palestinians. His firm has provided logistical and financial support for the establishment of illegal outposts.
Zohar Sabah
Runs a settler outpost named Zohar’s Farm and has previously faced charges of violence against Palestinians. He was indicted by Israel’s State Attorney’s Office in September for allegedly participating in a violent attack against Palestinians and activists in the West Bank village of Muarrajat.
Coco’s Farm and Neria’s Farm
These are illegal outposts in the West Bank, which are at the vanguard of the settler movement. According to the UK, they are associated with people who have been involved in enabling, inciting, promoting or providing support for activities that amount to “serious abuse”.
Tom Fletcher on 'soft power'
New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
Winners
Ballon d’Or (Men’s)
Ousmane Dembélé (Paris Saint-Germain / France)
Ballon d’Or Féminin (Women’s)
Aitana Bonmatí (Barcelona / Spain)
Kopa Trophy (Best player under 21 – Men’s)
Lamine Yamal (Barcelona / Spain)
Best Young Women’s Player
Vicky López (Barcelona / Spain)
Yashin Trophy (Best Goalkeeper – Men’s)
Gianluigi Donnarumma (Paris Saint-Germain and Manchester City / Italy)
Best Women’s Goalkeeper
Hannah Hampton (England / Aston Villa and Chelsea)
Men’s Coach of the Year
Luis Enrique (Paris Saint-Germain)
Women’s Coach of the Year
Sarina Wiegman (England)
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
Ready Player One
Dir: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Ben Mendelsohn, Mark Rylance
The view from The National
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
