Las Vegas Weekly

June 2, 2010 · 12:26 AM

Superstar Celine Dion: ‘What I love most in life is to be a mother’

By Robin Leach

Celine Dion in concert in Tampa, Fla., on Jan. 28, 2009.

Photo: Tom Donoghue/www.donoghuephotography.com

News of Celine Dion’s pregnancy with twins from an in-vitro fertilization flashed around the world Monday, and the first thought here was if it would affect her planned March 15 return to a three-year run of 70 annual concerts at The Colosseum in Caesars Palace.

Celine and husband manager Rene Angelil put the fears to rest immediately.

“We will be there as scheduled,” they said. In a French-language interview with writer Michelle Coude-Lord of Celine’s hometown newspaper The Montreal Journal, Rene added: “The babies will be 5 months old by then. If everything goes as planned, we’ll be there next spring with no problem doing 70 shows a year.”

I talked Monday with The Journal’s news editor, George Kalogerakis, as he discussed Celine’s Las Vegas commitment with Michelle and reporter Dany Bouchard, who tracks Las Vegas entertainment for the publication: “It was very important to both of them to honor the contract. She takes the signing of the contract very seriously and worried a lot about the timing of the birth.

“She knew that this would be the last chance -- the last window of opportunity.”

Celine admitted to Michelle that the contract did put a little pressure on them: “The contract never had priority over the life of a child, but we don’t make our commitments lightly. So I saw the time pass from one test to another, and I was stressed for Rene because he negotiates these contracts. The pressure was there. I felt the edge of the precipice, and I thought maybe it will -- my big leap -- if it doesn’t happen because the page will be turned soon. That’s why we are so happy because the road was long and arduous.”

Celine’s new contract, as previously reported here at Vegas DeLuxe in February, calls for 70 shows a year. “She sees it as a good situation to keep the rhythm of the school calendar for their 9-year-old son Rene Charles,” Michelle said.

They told me that Celine’s hometown fans were ecstatic with the news and reacting very positively. “It was the big news on every show here,” George told me. “The news was a total surprise. They kept it very quiet this time because they lost the child the last time they talked about it. The arrival of twins was as big a surprise to Celine as it was to all of us. She said she didn’t believe it when the doctors told her. She wanted to wait the first three months to be absolutely sure.”

Now 42 and 14 weeks’ pregnant, Celine knows that she faces a high-risk pregnancy. She gives all the credit to her extraordinary medical team. She’s thrilled and grateful that her fans are excited for her and praying for her.

Celine told The Journal: “I am deeply grateful for the fans love. I know they expected me, they sent me their prayers for me to achieve this dream to have a second child. There are no words to explain and give them my gratitude. They are happy for me and with me.”

The international superstar also told Michelle that she will willingly stay in bed during the pregnancy if necessary under doctor’s orders at her home in Jupiter, Fla.

“Celine told us she understands what couples have to go through like she did to have a baby. She has the finances to deal with it and felt strongly about couples who mortgage their homes for the treatment just to be happy. It’s a big issue up here as to whether the government should pay for it in full. We finance three attempts, but as Celine pointed out and supports, it can go beyond that,” George said.

Celine told Michelle: “I am sad that it’s so difficult and we have to have money to bring life into the world. We deserve to be parents.”

She was ready to fight until the last breath of her body to experience this second pregnancy. Celine told Michelle: “It was the sixth time -- March 10 in New York. Fate was knocking at my door. I waited for the medicine to tell me that my health allows me more. We never lost hope and continued to encourage each other. I never gave up. I feel like I have been pregnant for over a year already. It was physically and emotionally hard.

“We were inhabited by the dream of expanding our family giving a brother or sister to Rene Charles. There were tears. I didn’t cling to this dream because I didn’t want it to destroy me if it didn’t happen. After each disappointment, I regained my composure pretty quickly. It was important to stay strong and positive. I take nothing for granted and live one day at a time.”

The singer plans to watch the weekly progress of the twins during her ultra-sound sessions. At present, they do not know the gender of the children but plan to learn that shortly. Her mother, sisters and a Montreal specialist have joined Celine in Florida. Twins run in the family: Six years before Celine was born, her brother Paul and sister Pauline arrived. Her grandmother also gave birth to twins.

This week, Rene arrives in Las Vegas for the first preliminary production meetings with Caesars Palace President Gary Selesner, Gary’s executives and AEG producers. Work also began this week in Montreal on the staging of the Caesars shows, with the same audio, lighting and multimedia engineers who produced the Britney Spears Circus Tour. Grammy Awards producer Ken Ehrlich is masterminding the new Celine shows starting March 15 with a 31-piece orchestra.

Proud father Rene told The Journal: “Everyone knows that Celine has the guts, and she is determined. These procedures are so difficult on a woman’s body. It takes discipline and perseverance. We are so happy, fulfilled.”

Celine had the last word: “What I love most in life is to be a mother. There is no stronger performance than that. Trophies and money do not give a meaning to life, and it does not bring you real happiness. A child does!”

Robin Leach has been a journalist for more than 50 years and has spent the past decade giving readers the inside scoop on Las Vegas, the world’s premier platinum playground.

Follow Robin Leach on Twitter at Twitter.com/Robin_Leach.

Follow Vegas DeLuxe on Twitter at Twitter.com/vegasdeluxe.

Follow VDLX Editor Don Chareunsy on Twitter at Twitter.com/VDLXEditorDon.

Share This