Celine Dion knows what’s important in life. After postponing her Las Vegas residency concerts to help care for her husband, Rene Angelil, during his battle with cancer, the chart-topping diva, 47, is ready to return to the stage.
“René is a champion. I loved him all my life,” Dion told Taste of Life in a new interview. “I don’t want to sound pretentious, but I am his favorite singer and he wants to see me back on the stage singing again!”
Angelil, now 73, became Dion’s manager in 1980 when she was 12 and he was 38. They got married in December 1994.
But the “My Heart Will Go On” singer doesn’t regret her time away from the spotlight. Her No. 1 priority remains her family with Angelil and their kids, twins Eddy and Nelson, 4, and son Rene-Charles, 14.
“Life is not always perfect. You have to deal with it,” she continued. “Whatever life imposes — sickness, or whatever, you don’t have a choice. This is life, this is nature. But you do have the choice on how you’re going to go through this. And if you don’t have spirituality you’re going to fall apart before things happen. I am very spiritual. I believe in myself, I believe in my family, and I’m positive. Through this, you show your children how to deal with things, and how to be strong.”
The mother of three has won 12 Grammys and sold more than 200 million albums, but she has a different legacy in mind when asked how she wanted to be remembered.
“It has nothing to do with the albums, the money, the awards and how many records I’ve sold. I’m still on stage because I still love that part of my life, but what I’m most proud of, what I consider my biggest success, is my family — my three beautiful children,” she said. “I want to be remembered as the best mom in the world. I want my kids to always come back when they’re married and say, ‘Let’s go see Grandma.’ And I want to cook for all my grandchildren.”
