1996
International superstar Celine Dion first appeared on The Oprah Show in 1996 after Oprah surprised the entire audience with a trip to Disney World.
During the show, Celine and Peabo Bryson performed their hit from the Oscar®-winning Disney classic Beauty and the Beast, and the enchanting melodies didn't end there.
Amy and Chad, a married couple who regretted their quick vow exchange, got a second chance at the wedding of their dreams. Their fairytale wedding came true—Cinderella-style—when Celine serenaded them with her number one hit, "Because You Loved Me."
1997
The Oprah Show took a look at stars saying "I do" in January 1997, and Celine returned to talk about her lavish wedding to manager René Angélil.
The pair tied the knot in 1994 in front of 532 guests at the Notre Dame Basilica in Montreal, Canada. Some have even compared it to a royal wedding! "The Power of Love" singer wore a 15-pound crystal and pearl tiara that was sewn to her head and enlisted the help of eight bridesmaids—all of her sisters—to keep her 20-foot train on track.
"I love him big-time and I wanted a big wedding," Celine said.
1997
Celine stopped by The Oprah Show once again in 1997 to perform her Oscar®-nominated hit "Because You Loved Me."
Little did she know, there was an enormous surprise in store. Oprah invited Celine's mother and father to the show—plus all 13 of her brothers and sisters!
"There's prices to pay and the biggest price to pay is to be away from the people you love the most," Celine said. "I love you very much [Oprah]. You are so special."
The entire family sang "It Was Only a Dream"—the song Celine's mother wrote for her when she was a little girl. It is also the first song Celine ever recorded and the same tune that got her discovered by record producer René Angélil, her husband.
The family also did an encore performance of "Church Bells Are Ringing," a song they used to sing when they were all living together in Canada.
1997
In September 1997,
The Oprah Show had a stiletto heel revolt. Everyone from
Isaac Mizrahi to
Naomi Campbell to Celine offered their opinions on the sometimes-painful-yet-chic shoe style.
"I love them," Celine said. "When you think about comfort, you're getting old. Don't think about comfort yet."
1997
The Grammy®-winning singer of hits like “My Heart Will Go On” answered Oprah's question, "Who gave you your wings?" during a show of the same name in 1997.
"I got my wings from my mom," Celine said. "Every single day I told my mom, 'Mom, I want to sing; I want to become a singer. I want to be in show business,' and my mom always said to me, 'Celine, I want you to sing, but professionally with your own songs.'"
Celine's mother wrote her very first song, "It Was Only a Dream."
Other stars who shared their stories included
Chris Rock,
Goldie Hawn and
Suzanne Somers.
1998
In 1998, Oprah celebrated her birthday while taping in Amarillo, Texas, and some of her all-time favorite people sent warm messages—including Celine!
"I'm so happy I can wish you a happy birthday, but at the same time I'd love to say thank you to you because my family and I—we did your show, and we had such a great time," Celine said. "Keep going, girl, because you're the best."
1998
Celine performed her Oscar®-nominated hit "My Heart Will Go On" in 1998 during an
Oprah Show taping in Amarillo, Texas.
The superstar also opened up about why "Tell Him," her duet with living legend
Barbra Streisand was a dream come true. "There are two women that I look up to in my life, my mother in my personal life and Barbra [Streisand] in my singing life," Celine said.
1999
Undoubtedly at the top of her game, the Canadian superstar sat down with Oprah to bid adieu to her fans. At the age of 31, Celine stunned the music world when she announced her indefinite exit from show business.
"I've been doing this for 18 years and then I'm realizing I've missed so many wonderful things," Celine said. "I can't wait to meet life."
The "It's All Coming Back to Me Now" singer expressed the importance of being with her family and her husband René—who had just completed cancer treatment.
2000
When Celine said "I do" for the second time,
The Oprah Show included her vow renewal in a "Fantasy Weddings" episode in 2000.
The couple said they decided to renew their vows at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas after a difficult year in which Celine's husband battled cancer (and won!). The Arabian-themed affair was unlike anything you've ever seen—complete with a gold metal dress designed by Alexander McQueen, camels, gold-plated crowns, belly-dancers, snake-charmers and more!
The show also included other lavish celebrity weddings and an engagement surprise for actress
Angie Harmon.
2002
In 2002, Celine appeared on the show to sing the praises of one of our most requested guests—
Josh Groban!
These vocal powerhouses first performed together during the 1999 Grammy® Awards, when music producer David Foster asked Josh to fill in for Andrea Bocelli and sing "The Prayer" with Celine.
So I see this young kid, and I'm like, 'Okay, sure and you know the song?' And he said, "Yes, I think do." And he took the microphone and when he started to sing, he couldn't be any more powerful than that," Celine said. "This kid was incredible."
Watch as our cameras follow Grammy-winning artist Josh Groban backstage after an Oprah Show taping.
2002
Two years after saying farewell to show biz, Celine took The Oprah Show stage by storm once again to dish about the new man in her life.
Celine and her husband introduced their miracle baby René-Charles to Oprah.
After years of intensive in vitro fertilization treatments, Celine said she was overjoyed to learn she was pregnant. "When I heard the news, I was like—of course he's a miracle baby for us," Celine said. "It's a dream come true in many ways. I will never be the same person anymore."
The megastar also talked about her album A New Day Has Come and her elaborate Las Vegas show.
2002
For any fan, an encounter with Celine would be the ultimate Harpo Hookup—but one couple had no idea what was in store for them!
Scott wanted to profess his love to Sue, his wife and mother of four, and he thought the only way he could ever top the 30th birthday party his wife threw him was to show the world what a great mom she was with the help of The Oprah Show.
What Scott didn't know was there was another treat in store for them!
When Oprah found out that Scott's wife was a huge Celine fan, Oprah and Celine joined forces to take this hookup to the next level.
"Scott, this is wonderful what you are doing for your wife, but I got a great hookup for both you guys," Celine said. "I want to invite both of you for the opening night in Las Vegas for my new show A New Day at the Caesars Palace Colosseum. Also, after the show, I would like to invite you to my dressing room, and I would love to meet both of you!"
2003
It was "Viva Las Vegas" when Oprah hit the road in March 2003 to check out the hottest ticket in Sin City—Celine's spectacular stage show!
The show—three years in the making—took place in a $95 million theater built like a Roman colosseum, and the chart-topping singer offered Oprah an exclusive peek at rehearsals, her 48 dancers, the elaborate costumes and the 120-foot LED screen.
The superstar also offered a behind-the-scenes look at her Las Vegas home and shared how she balances stardom and motherhood.
"I want the curtain to come down and come home and say, 'This is home,'" Celine said. "We don't live in such a big place that you lose perspective."
2003
It was a show so epic, it couldn't fit into one hour. In a clip that never aired, Celine performed "If I Could," a song she described as a tribute to her son René-Charles, from Las Vegas.
2004
January 29, 2004, was a day to remember—Oprah celebrated her 50th birthday at Harpo Studios!
To commemorate the occasion, celebrities taped their wishes for Oprah. Celine expressed her love and admiration during the celebration.
"Well my friend, I just want to say how proud I am to wish you a happy birthday on this very, very special day. You are grace, you are beautiful, and you're definitely one of a kind," Celine said.
2004
The party continued as viewers got a behind-the-scenes look at Oprah’s star-studded 50th birthday weekend.
One of the celebrations—a ladies luncheon—included a surprise performance by Celine!
Dressed in green, Oprah's favorite color, the Grammy® award-winning superstar performed "Because You Loved Me" to help the guests—50 fabulous women—celebrate Oprah's 50 years of life. The Canadian singer also sang "Happy Birthday" to commemorate this milestone.
2004
In October 2004, Oprah threw the biggest baby shower in the world for 640 pregnant moms at Fort Campbell Army Base—but they weren't the only proud moms in attendance! Celine took The Oprah Show stage to dish about her son, René-Charles.
The doting mom admitted to spoiling him and opened up about how she and her husband raise their son.
"My mother called him 'little prince,'" Celine said. "Actually, we have an extravagant life, but we're trying to live as normal as possible.
2005
In January 2005, viewers got a chance to see some of what happens when The Oprah Winfrey Show cameras stop rolling.
Oprah shared a funny moment with Celine that took place during her 2004 appearance.
"I wish sometimes that people who do the dishes everyday, vacuum everyday, raise the kids, pick them up from school," Celine said, "I wish those [people] could have a part of our lives and we could have a part of theirs."
Expressing that she had lived that way before, Oprah responded, "I don't wish to have that life," as the audience laughed. "Let me tell you, what you're doing now is much better."
2007
Celine took a break from her Las Vegas stage show to
meet some of her biggest fans in November 2007. The stunned audience members received the surprise of a lifetime when Celine serenaded them with the song of their choice.
Then, the iconic singer opened up about returning to show business after taking time off to start a family, which was no easy task.
"When I had my son, I didn't want to perform in Las Vegas anymore," she said. "I had a life for the first time. I knew then that I wanted to have more success as a mother than a singer. It was probably one of the hardest moments of my life."
Celine also revealed the first time in her life she took charge—when her husband was diagnosed with cancer in 1999.
Read Celine's complete Aha! Moment.
Celine said the most important thing she learned from her husband's battle with cancer was, "My life is so much more than show business. ... My inner voice is a lot stronger than my singing voice."
2007
In 2007, Celine appeared in a video clip heralding
Diane Warren—one of the most successful female songwriters in music history.
Diane penned Celine's Oscar®-nominated and Grammy® award-winning smash hit "Because You Loved Me," as well as "I Want You to Need Me," "If You Asked Me To," "Love Can Move Mountains" and "Nothing But My Broken Heart."
2008
Teen singer
Charice Pempengco was speechless after being surprised by one of her idols via satellite—Celine!
After watching Charice sing her smash hit "My Heart Will Go On," Celine gave her an exciting opportunity.
"I'm going to be singing at Madison Square Garden, and I would love to ask you to come and sing a duet with me," Celine said.
Think you are one of Celine's biggest fans too? Take our Celine Dion quiz!
2008
Twelve children who defied the odds were the true stars of Celine's 2008 appearance. Celine met these children while working on the book
An Incredible Journey with Celine Dion: 12 Heroes Among Us. The children's stories were compiled by correspondents from
Readers Digest.
"It's an amazing project because you can read and learn about those miracles and heroes—babies, children—you can learn about those stories, and all the proceeds go for needy children and sick children," Celine said. "It was a blessing."
Read more about Celine’s work with miracle children
2008
Teen sensation
Charice Pempengco's dream came true when she performed a duet with Celine, her ultimate idol.
The two took Madison Square Garden by storm with a goose bump-inducing rendition of "Because You Loved Me" in front of a sold-out crowd.
Are you the ultimate Charice fan? Test your knowledge of all things Charice!
2009
During part two of Oprah's 2009 season premiere interview with Whitney Houston, Celine taped a special message to pay homage to this music icon.
"You know I grew up listening to you and everything you sang inspired me," Celine said. "Your music really touched me deeply. I'm so happy that you're back."
Celine wasn't the only singer to express her love for Whitney. Other well wishers included
Jennifer Hudson,
Christina Aguilera and
Dionne Warwick.
2009
Celine's 1988 performance footage was featured on
The Oprah Show's "The World's Got Talent with Simon Cowell" episode in 2009. The megastar got her big break on Eurovision—a talent show that has more viewers than the Super Bowl and Oscars® combined.
At age 20, Celine took first place in the annual three-day event, which features Europe's rising stars.
Julio Iglesias, ABBA and Irish sensation Riverdance also got their big breaks from this competition.
2010
For one year, cameras captured Celine's every move during her Taking Chances world tour and
The Oprah Show had an
all-access pass. The documentary film,
Celine: Through the Eyes of the World, spans five continents, 25 countries and 93 cities.
At first, the footage was just a souvenir of Celine and her family's adventures, but Celine and her husband René decided to share it with the world.
"It was so wonderful," she said. "René looked at this and said, 'We're not keeping this for ourselves.'"
Watch Celine's loving moments with her son and husband
Celine also opened up about motherhood, her struggle with infertility and the great sadness she experienced when she suffered a miscarriage.
"It's life, you know? A lot of people go through this," she said. "We tried four times to have a child. We're still trying. We're on the fifth try, and I'll tell you, if five is my lucky number, this fifth try has got to come in."
