In February 2016, just two days before his 74th birthday, icon Celine Dion bid a tragic farewell to her husband René Angélil, the love of her life.
Though she’s shown unbelievable strength and courage in her determination to go on for the sake of her three sons, the 49-year-old reveals, that over a year on, she still talks to photos of her husband.
“I don’t have my husband next to me, but he’s within me, so nothing has really changed,” she tells People. “I see him through the eyes of my children every day. My husband is everywhere.”
The All By Myself songstress continues, saying that she looks to René for guidance, particularly when she makes changes to her life. “I have to see a picture of him and I talk to him.
“I say, ‘I’m not trying to redo some of the things that maybe you’ve done. We’ve tried them and I’m pretty comfortable with it, so are you okay with that? If you’re not, give me a little sign or something.’”
WATCH: Celine reveals René is the only man she’s ever kissed in the video below. Article continues…
Searching for a recent example, Celine explains how she was asked to record a new track for Disney’s live action Beauty and the Beast.
Though her duet for the original film in 1991 helped launch her career, she was conflicted whether or not to take it on without her husband’s approval.
“It’s a classic that will be with me for the rest of my life,” she says. “And now my husband is not there and I was looking for him to help me to make the decision. And then I said, ‘I have nothing to lose,’ because these people – the casting directors, the songwriters, the producers, everyone — they are the family that were there 25 years ago and I think René would have said yes also.”
“We’re not not looking at pictures because it’s going to bring sadness,” she says. “We look at him and we laugh and we have a good time.”
The couple of over 20 years had a remarkable love story – one which began when René assumed the role of Celine’s manager when she was just 13.
The pair fell in love and tied the knot on December 17, 1994, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
Five years after their wedding, their lives took a dramatic turn when Rene was diagnosed with throat cancer. After a long battle with the illness, it ultimately claimed his life.
The pair tied the knot on 17 December 1994.
Now, as the mother-of-three continues to adjust to life without him, she’s adamant that while her husband is no longer here, she’ll never be without him.
“It’s just a new way of living without your husband. And it takes time, we’re coping very well,” she says.
“It’s like I’m a duo. I’m always going to be Céline and René and I don’t want that to ever change.”
