Céline Dion kicked off a run of concerts near Paris this weekend, and among the 35,000 fans who secured tickets to the singer's first show in six years was Vanessa, a 50-year-old from Nice who has idolised the Quebec star for three decades. A team from the TF1 programme "Sept à Huit", broadcast on Sunday and also available on TF1+, followed her to the event.
Vanessa attended the concert at the Plenitude Arena in Nanterre on Saturday, September 12. She has now seen Dion perform 200 times and bought seven tickets for this run of shows, paying between 300 and 1,000 euros each for a total of 6,000 euros. She said she stopped counting after 200 concerts, and stopped counting how much it had all cost her.
A sold-out residency and a health scare
It was Vanessa's first time at the venue, the largest concert arena in Europe. Dion is due to perform there 16 times over a month, at a rate of three shows a week, with every date sold out.
Vanessa said she was anxious about whether Dion could get through the residency given her illness, stiff person syndrome, which causes spasms and can stop her from singing. She said a neurologist had told her Dion was never safe from a flare-up because it could not be predicted, adding that she tried not to think about it.
A friendship that began at 19
Vanessa said her connection to Dion began 30 years ago and described it as a love story. Like many French fans, it started with the album "D'eux", written by Jean-Jacques Goldman. She said it went back to 1995, when a friend gave her a cassette of the record with its best-known songs, including "Pourquoi tu m'aimes encore".
Vanessa said she had been going through a difficult period at the time. At 19, she was attacked in the street by a man from her workplace after she rejected his advances, which she said knocked her down and led to a spell of anorexia. She said Dion arrived in her life at that moment and helped her like a remedy, comparing it to taking a shot of Céline every morning.
A life built around the passion
Now 50 and working as a nanny for wealthy families in Nice, Vanessa said she still embraces being an addict. Her partner, Doriane, who prefers electro music, does not share the obsession, so there is no Céline Dion in their apartment. Instead Vanessa keeps her collection in an attic room stacked with CDs, signed photographs and even handbags.
She has also kept the tickets from all 200 concerts she has attended around the world, including in Las Vegas, Brisbane, Australia and Japan. The most expensive was in Singapore, where she paid 1,200 euros for a front-row seat. She estimates she has spent between 150,000 and 200,000 euros on Dion's tours since 1996, enough, she said, to have bought a house, but insisted she never calculates it and simply goes to see the tour whenever there is one.
Recognised by the star
A close bond with Dion developed from Vanessa's very first concert. She said that by her fifth show at Paris's Bercy arena, Dion was staying at the Bristol hotel, and when the singer's motorcade arrived, Dion spotted her and waved her over, telling her she loved her show and that she saw her at every one. Dion then went inside and signalled to her bodyguard, pointing at Vanessa so she could come in too, which is when Vanessa got her first photograph with the singer. She was 19 at the time.
Since then, Dion has recognised Vanessa at every concert and hotel appearance. Vanessa said the singer grew fond of her, noting that she herself lived in Montreal for ten years and follows Dion's tours across the world.
Vanessa described the high point as 2018, when Dion invited her into her dressing room in Las Vegas for a private meeting. Vanessa gave her a ring for her 50th birthday, having raised 10,000 euros from other fans to pay for it. She said their bond has grown into something close to friendship over the years, describing genuine joking around during their time together, even if brief, alongside ordinary small talk.
Following Dion to Paris
Vanessa travelled to Paris as soon as she learned Dion was arriving for the residency. She rented an Airbnb for the concert period, paying 4,000 euros for 12 nights, deliberately chosen five minutes' walk from the singer's hotel. A tip from someone in Dion's entourage told her exactly where to stand, in front of the entrance to the private apartments at the Royal Monceau hotel, giving her the best vantage point.
She said she hoped Dion would still recognise her after seven years apart. When the singer arrived and the crowd of fans held its breath, Dion spotted Vanessa and, unlike the other fans present, gave her a brief private exchange, even recognising her son, Valentin. Vanessa called her adorable and kind.
On Saturday's concert itself, Vanessa said Dion had amazed her more than at any point in 30 years of watching her perform. She said the voice was not always steady at the start, but that this reflected both the fragility of her illness and the strength she still has. Vanessa is due to see her idol six more times before May 2027.
