The Eurovision Song Contest has reportedly not given up hope that Celine Dion could perform despite the competition being just days away.
Organisers want the Canadian singer, 56, to recreate the magic of her 1988 win for 2025 host country Switzerland at this year’s Grand Final.
Celine previously won the annual competition for the Swiss with French-language song Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi (Don’t Leave Without Me).
Last month, it was reported the My Heart Will Go On singer was in talks to perform at Eurovision, but any appearance would be dependent on her health.
In December 2022, she revealed she had been diagnosed with stiff-person syndrome (SPS) and had to cancel her Courage World Tour.
The All By Myself popstar returned to performing for the first time since publicly announcing her diagnosis at the Olympics in Paris last year.
And reports coming out of Switzerland are claiming that Celine might not be done yet, with ‘rehearsals’ apparently taking place so that organisers are ready for her appearance.
Blick report: ‘Rehearsals for a major performance with Celine Dion’s orchestra have already taken place at Basel’s St. Jakobshalle. [But] Dion herself was not present; she was impersonated by a stand-in.’
The Swiss publication also speculated: ‘As a big surprise, the music icon will be transported onto the stage in a lift.’
Edi Estermann, head of communication for Eurovision, has said: ‘Céline will, of course, always be connected to Swiss Eurovision history and is a part of it.
What is stiff-person syndrome?
Stiff-person syndrome (SPS) is a rare autoimmune movement disorder that affects the central nervous system (the brain and spinal cord).
SPS is characterised by fluctuating muscle rigidity in the trunk and limbs and a heightened sensitivity to stimuli such as noise, touch, and emotional distress, which can set off muscle spasms. Stiff-person syndrome is extremely rare.
Only about one out of every one million people have been diagnosed with this syndrome. Twice as many women have stiff person syndrome as men. Symptoms can occur at any age but usually develop between ages 30 and 60.
‘We would love to have her on the show and are in contact with her. But her health comes first. It’s still open for us.’
In a recent update on her potential Eurovision appearance, the competition’s head of show Yves Schifferle confirmed that talks were ongoing for Celine to appear in next week’s Grand Final.
He told The Euro Trip Podcast: ‘We all know Celine’s situation – we are in contact, we leave this open to the very last day.’
Last year, Celine opened up about living with SPS in documentary, I Am: Celine Dion.
In one scene, she spoke about the muscle spasms she suffered, which were once so strong they broke her ribs.
She said living with the condition was ‘like somebody’s strangling you’ and added: ‘It feels like if I point my feet, it will stay in (that position), or if I cook—because I love to cook—my fingers, my hands will get in position.
‘It’s cramping, but it’s like in a position [where] you cannot unlock them.’
Celine continued: ‘Sometimes when it’s very severe, it can break some ribs.’
The main symptoms of SPS are muscle stiffening and spasming, and there is currently no cure for the disease, but there are ways for it to be treated, including through the use of muscle sedatives and relaxants.
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The Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will be taking place in Basel, Switzerland, with the grand final on May 17 and the semi-finals on May 13 and 15.
It will be the first time the competition has been held in the German-speaking part of Switzerland after previously being hosted in Lugano in 1956 and Lausanne in 1989.
Basel won out against locations including Geneva and Zurich to secure the spot and even beat the country’s capital city, Bern.
Remember Monday have been confirmed as the UK’s entry, following in the footsteps of Olly Alexander.
Swiss entry Nemo won Eurovision in 2024 with their song The Code, scoring 591 points.
What songs is Celine Dion known for?
As well as winning Eurovision in 1988 for Switzerland with her song Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi (Don’t Leave Without Me), Celine Dion has also had a stellar pop career.
To date, she has two UK number ones – Think Twice, which released in 1994 and reached the top in 1995, and My Heart Will Go On from the 1997 film Titanic.
In total, she has scored 14 hits in the UK top 10, including Beauty and the Beast, The Power of Love, Only One Road, Tu M’Aimes Encore (To Love Me Again), and It’s All Coming Back to Me Now.
As of 2025, Celine’s last top 10 hit in the UK came in 2002 when her song A New Day Has Come made it to number seven in the week when Pop Idol winner Will Young reigned with his winner’s single Anything Is Possible.
The Grand Final of the Eurovision Song Contest 2025 will take place in St Jakobshalle in Basel on May 17, with the semi-finals taking place on May 13 and 15.
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