Derek Hough could “barely watch” the seizure scene in Celine Dion’s new documentary.
The Dancing with the Stars judge took to Instagram on Thursday to share that he and his wife, dancer Hayley Erbert, had watched I Am: Celine Dion, which was released earlier this week.
In his post, Derek explained that he had a difficult time watching the music icon, who suffers from stiff person syndrome, have a seizure because it reminded him of his wife’s medical emergency late last year.
“A very difficult scene was seeing one of Celine’s SPS seizures play out in real time,” the dancer and choreographer wrote. “It was so hard to watch seeing her in pain like that. It also reminded me of Hayley’s seizure on the side of the stage a few months ago. I could barely re-watch.”
Last year, Hayley was hospitalised and diagnosed with a cranial haematoma after becoming disorientated during a performance. The dancer later underwent an emergency craniectomy followed by a cranioplasty.
Elsewhere in his post, Derek revealed that he and Hayley met the My Heart Will Go On hitmaker “a couple of years ago”.
“We were lucky enough to meet her a couple of years ago, even sing and dance with her a little,” he wrote. “She’s a firecracker, we were so nervous meeting the queen. Especially Hayley who is a diehard fan.”
Derek added of the Canadian hitmaker, “Celine is an absolute legend, with a unique and one in a billion voice. We’re so blessed to witness her talent in our lifetime. I pray she heals and returns to the stage she loves so much.”
Celine revealed in December 2022 that she had been diagnosed with the rare neurological disorder. She has not performed publicly since.
I Am: Celine Dion explores the singer’s decades-long career and how the condition has affected her personally and professionally.
