Celine Dion reveals how a health scare caused her to cancel Eurovision Final performance

Back in May this year, the annual Eurovision Song Contest took place in Basel, where fans were hoping for a performance by Canadian singer Celine Dion. In the run up to the show, there had a been few rumours the singer could be due to perform, with fans spotting Celine's private jet at the airport.

However, instead of appearing on stage, the singer made a rare public appearance via a video message shown on stage. The singer has now revealed in a new French-language documentary that she was in Basel, but had to cancel her performance due to a health scare.

The singer explains in the documentary called Céline Dion raconte 'D'eux' (Céline Dion recounts 'D'eux', that she was in the Swiss city, so that she could perform. However, she was forced to pull out at the last minute because of a health scare.

Instead, she appeared via video, speaking in English and French, telling the viewers: "Dear Eurovision family and contestants..."

Continuing in French: "Dear fans and lovers of music across the world..."

She then returned to English to say: "I'd love nothing more than to be with you in Basel right now, Switzerland will forever hold a special place in my heart. It's the country that believed in me and gave the the chance to be part of something extraordinary.

"Winning the Eurovision Song Contest for Switzerland in 1988, yeah, was a life-changing moment for me, and I'm so thankful to everyone who supported me."

"Now, 37 years later, I know... It's so beautiful and emotional to see Switzerland winning and hosting this incredible event once again.

"To the people of Switzerland, thank you for your love. This night is yours and I hope you feel as proud as I do."

She continued in French: "The music unites us, not only tonight, not only in this wonderful moment. It is our power, our support, and our accompaniment in a moment we need it. I hug you, Europe, and the rest of the world, of course. Kisses, I love you all."

Celine's message was greeted by cheers from the audience and many comments on social media. One fan wrote: 'Such a Queen !!! 👑💖', and another said: '🥹🥹 so inspiring. Utterly adore her'.

Ever since Switzerland won the competition last year, there had been speculation that Celine might appear at the Eurovision Song Contest, however, in recent years she scaled back her performances due to her diagnosis with Stiff Person Syndrome.

Last year, saw Celine ending a four-year break from performing, when she sang Edith Piaf's classic 'Hymne à l'Amour' from the Eiffel Tower, at the Paris Olympics Opening Ceremony. In a statement, the Eurovision Song Contest are still hoping Celine might appear at the final, saying: "We are still in close contact with her."

This year's Eurovision winner was JJ from Austria, with the next event taking place in Vienna in May 2026.

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