Celine Dion makes spellbinding return at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with 'Hymne A L'Amour' rendition

26 July 2024, 22:56

The Olympics 2024 opening ceremony rumours had been bubbling away all week.

For the lead up to the 2024 Olympics opening ceremony, the list of performers set to take the stage was certainly not the best-kept secret.

Especially after a handful of the superstars expected to be performing were spotted out and about in the French capital beforehand.

One of which was Céline Dion, the French-Canadian iconic with a golden voice that is adored the world over.

Despite the possibility of Céline performing, people still didn't believe it due to her recent health issues.

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In 2022, she announced she was stepping away from music having been diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, which left her unable to move at some points.

She was adamant she would return to the stage at some point, admitting that "if I can’t walk, I’ll crawl" in her recent eye-opening documentary.

But she didn't have to - Céline's return to live performance at the opening of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games was as majestic as you can imagine, taking place within the Eiffel Tower.

The 'Queen Of Ballads' was welcomed by the Parisian crowd to insanely loud applause, knowing what a momentous occasion this was.

Wearing a dazzling silver gown, Dion sang a powerful rendition of Édith Piaf’s 'Hymne A L'Amour' for the finale of the opening ceremony from the Eiffel Tower, beneath the five interlaced Olympic rings which glowed in the night.

It was the only song the singer performed – but the rousing performance was more than enough to end the momentous evening.

Céline performed solo, despite French journalist Thierry Moreau reporting earlier this week that the singer would be joined by Lady Gaga for a duet of Édith Piaf’s classic 'La Vie en Rose'.

Instead, Gaga performed a rendition of Zizi Jeanmaire's 'Mon Truc En Plumes' earlier in the evening beside the River Seine.

Though organisers had remained tight-lipped about the rumour, Céline was enjoying the sights of Paris she'd longed to see again.

On 24th July she posted several photos on Instagram of herself visiting the Louvre Museum.

"Every time I return to Paris, I remember there’s so much beauty and joy still to experience in the world," she wrote in the caption.

"I love Paris, and I’m so happy to be back! Thank you to our wonderful friends at The Louvre!"

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A post shared by Céline Dion (@celinedion)

The experience is clearly one for Céline to savour, who teased a comeback during an interview with Vogue France back in April.

"The way I see it, I have two choices," she told the iconic fashion magazine. "Either I train like an athlete and work super hard, or I switch off and it’s over, I stay at home, listen to my songs, stand in front of my mirror and sing to myself."

"I’ve chosen to work with all my body and soul, from head to toe, with a medical team. I want to be the best I can be. My goal is to see the Eiffel Tower again!"