Celine Dion has thanked fans in first red carpet appearance since Stiff Person Syndrome diagnosis

Céline Dion tearfully thanked her family and fans in her first red-carpet appearance since her Stiff Person Syndrome diagnosis.

The 56-year-old singer - who was forced to stop performing after being diagnosed with the rare neurological condition in 2022 - stepped out on Monday evening local time at the New York City premiere for her new Amazon Prime Video documentary I Am: Céline Dion.

Céline- who has sons René-Charles, 23, and twins Nelson and Eddy, 13, with late husband René Angélil - thanked her family as she took to the stage.

In an emotional speech, she said: “Of course, I wouldn’t be here without the daily love and support from my wonderful children.

“Thank you, René-Charles. Thank you, Nelson. Thank you, Eddy. Thank you very much.”

As well as thanking her physician Dr Amanda Piquet and the documentary filmmaker, Irene Taylor Brodsky, Céline - who admitted it was the largest crowd she had been in front of in years - also had some kind words for her fans.

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She continued: “And thanks to you, my fans, your presence in my journey has been a gift beyond measure. Your never-ending love and support for all the issues have delivered me to this moment.”

Opening up about her condition, the My Heart Will Go On singer admitted she has compared herself to “an apple from a tree” in a powerful analogy.

She explained: “One of the stories you will hear from me in this movie as I was reading, learning about my condition.

“I compared myself — and I’m not saying this because we’re in New York — but I compared myself to an apple. Oh, it sounds like we made it up, but I did, and I was in Las Vegas.

“When I said to myself that I compared myself to an apple from a tree, [I said], ‘I don’t want you [fans] to wait in line anymore if I don’t have any shiny apples for you.’

“So a couple of days ago, I saw a message from a fan and it said, ‘We’re not here for the apple. We’re here for the truth.’ "

Céline wiped a tear from her eyes as she reflected on her friendships, and her son René-Charles brought her a tissue on stage.

She said: “I cannot believe how fortunate I am to have my friends in my life.

“Thank you to all of you from the bottom of my heart for being part of my journey. This movie is my love letter to each of you.”

“I hope to see you all again very soon,’ she added as the crowd rose for another standing ovation.

I Am: Céline Dion is available to watch on Amazon Prime from June 25.

- Bang! Showbiz with edits