Singer Celine Dion hits the stage again at star-studded Elie Saab fashion show

Despite being diagnosed with a rare and painful autoimmune neurological disorder, Canadian music icon Celine Dion staged a triumphant performance with two hit songs at the 1001 Seasons Of Elie Saab event in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Nov 13.

The show was the latest in a series of selected public appearances by the 56-year-old singer in 2024, starting with a performance at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony in July. That event was the first time Dion had sung publicly since revealing her diagnosis of stiff-person syndrome in December 2022.

At the Elie Saab gala, which celebrated the 45th anniversary of the Lebanese designer’s eponymous fashion label, Dion closed the show by belting out The Power Of Love (1993) and I’m Alive (2002).

Naturally, she wore a flowing Elie Saab number – one with a surfeit of sparkles – and a built-in cape. Dion was also seen walking the red carpet earlier in a different outfit from the designer: a striking pink and white gown accented with ruffles.

“Monsieur Elie Saab and his entourage and his beautiful family have welcomed us here – my manager, my son and all the people that I needed to support me to be here,” she said during a red-carpet interview.

She was not the only singer to perform during the event. American singer-actress Jennifer Lopez dazzled with a spirited song-and-dance medley that included her 2011 dance hit On The Floor, while American singer Camilla Cabello put on an abridged live set of five tunes.

American actress Halle Berry also took the stage, though not to sing. Instead, she walked the runway in the iconic Elie Saab gown she wore during the Academy Awards in 2002 – when she made history as the first African-American woman to win the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Monster’s Ball (2001).