Celine Dion saved the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics last night as she made a triumphant return to stage for the first time in over four years after battling with Stiff Person Syndrome. The French-speaking Canadian singer moved millions of people across the world to tears as she performed a heartbreaking rendition of Hymne à L’amour from underneath the dazzling Eiffel Tower. It marked her first performance in over four years after revealing that her body had been wracked with painful spasms following her diagnosis with the rare and chronic neurological disorder. Despite her disappearing from the spotlight since 2020, the pro proved her vocal chords were as strong as ever, leaving crowds speechless, with fans watching at home applauding ‘the most beautiful ending’ to the Opening Ceremony. The megastar’s triumphant return has also put at bay fans’ fears that the 56-year-old’s incurable autoimmune disease, which she revealed in December 2022, might spell the end to her long-running career. The heart-breaking song chosen by Celine is well-known by French nationals and was first sung by Edith Piaf, who wrote it in tribute to the love of her life, boxer Marcel Cerdan, who died in a plane crash in 1949 while on a flight to see her. Celine’s performance took place as French athletes ran with the Olympic torch before arriving at the Tuileries garden where judo star Teddy Riner and sprinter Marie-Jose Perec lit the Olympic cauldron attached to an hot air balloon. Many in the crowd and watching from their armchairs were left speechless as the cauldron rose over the city, lighting up the Parisian night sky as it travelled down the River Seine. The beautiful end to the Opening Ceremony will have come as a relief to organisers whose efforts were dampened by torrential downpours that led spectators, celebrities, politicians and royals from around the world to cower under umbrellas. France’s unique plan to hold the opening event outdoors rather than inside a stadium, as is typical, was criticised by many who watched the historic night, with some slamming it as the ‘worst Olympic opening ceremony in memory’. Arm chair viewers were left unimpressed by Lady Gaga’s performance of Folie Bergiere, which she sang entirely in French on the riverbanks of the Seine, after it was marred by sound issues. As France’s tricolour flag erupted from the Pont d’Austerlitz Bridge just after 6.30pm UK time, 6,800 athletes began travelling down the murky waterway in huge a flotilla of 85 boats. But in what was branded as a weather ‘disaster’ by French meteorologists, athletes were forced to chuck on ugly plastic ponchos and shield with umbrellas as they tried to keep spirits up while being lashed by rain. Other bizarre elements of the four-hour ceremony, included a performance by French ‘national treasure’ Phillippe Katerine, who was seen lying on a boat, naked and painted blue, covered by a fruit platter. And when the Olympic flag was finally raised after President Emmanuel Macron opened the ceremony, it was hoisted up the poll upside down. Celine salvaged a night that was disrupted by unusually rainy July weather, which was caused a screen at the Trocadéro where thousands of spectators are gathered appeared to suffer a blackout. Earlier on in the night, Athletes on Team GB’s boat – lead by flag bearers diver Tom Daley and rower Helen Glover, with tennis stars Andy Murray and Katie Boulter onboard – decided to embrace the poor weather, forgoing raincoats and umbrellas as they beamed and waved to fans. The ceremony kicked off with a short film starring French football legend Zinedine Zidane carrying the Olympic torch before he passed it local children who emerged in real life on the river banks. Those watching from the banks of the famous river – as well as from their armchairs all over the world – were then treated to a quintessential Parisian performance of the Can-can dance with dancers dressed in pink lighting up the grey sky. The ceremony has dwelled on many aspects of the city’s history. The flame passed through the workshop of world-renowned French bag designer Louis Vuitton before a dance made reference to the rebuilding of the Notre Dame fire of 2019. A heavy metal band burst into song in reference to the violence of the French Revolution, while an ode was paid to Victor Hugo’s novel Les Miserables and a ‘headless’ Marie Antoinette was seen along the route. As the dance medley continues below on the banks of the river, the Olympic torch is being carried over the city’s stunning rooftops by a free-running athlete. Speaking after her performance, Lady Gaga told the crowd: ‘I feel so completely grateful to have been asked to open the Paris Olympics 2024 this year. ‘I am also humbled to be asked by the Olympics organising committee to
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