EXCLUSIVE: Celine Dion on Life After Rene Angelil's Death: 'I Am the Leader of My Family'
Celine Dion says she feels "stronger" as she takes on new projects following husband Rene Angelil's death.
ET's Cameron Mathison caught up with the 48-year-old singer in Las Vegas on Tuesday as she promoted the launch of "The Celine Dion Collection" of handbags, luggage and accessories with the Bugatti Group, where she opened up about how creating the collection helped her through a difficult year, and how Angelil will always be with her.
"[The collection is] not something we had talked about, but I'm pretty sure he would be very proud because my husband is… we've always been 50/50 together in everything that I've done in my life," Dion explained of the new line, which was unveiled at PROJECT WOMEN in Las Vegas on Tuesday, and will be available at select retailers across the globe in September.
"When he left, he came inside of all of my kids' hearts and mine, he gave the rest of his 50 percent for me to be complete, to continue the rest of my life, to feel strong and to believe that I can still do this and he will always be with me," she continued, tearing up.
Angelil died last January after a long battle with throat cancer, and while Dion says the year following his death was definitely "tough," she now feels "stronger" than ever.
"I feel stronger," the "Power of Love" singer revealed. "He gave me the rest of him. I feel stronger, I step forward. I say what I mean, I mean what I say. I stand up for my kids and I feel like I'm the leader of the family."
"My oldest, 16, is not the man of the house [because] you have to have your own dreams. And the twins, they didn't suffer because I told them the truth," she said.
Taking on more responsibility has interestingly given Dion more confidence in expressing herself.
"Now I have to stand up for myself and say, 'I'm not sure. I need time,'" she confessed, "and I take more time, because before, I didn't even have any questions."
"He said,' We do this. We go on tour. This is what we do. This TV show, not this one.' He was on top of it… he was my husband and my manager," she explained. "Today it's like, 'Let me pause on that, and I'll come back to you.'"
Celine Dion says it's a "privilege" to sing a new song for Disney's upcoming live-action Beauty and the Beast.
Nearly 30 years after the movie's 1991 release -- and Dion's iconic duet with Peabo Bryson -- the singer opened up to ET's Cameron Mathison about falling "in love" with the animated film, and how her late husband, Rene Angelil, convinced her to sing a new song -- titled "How Does a Moment Last Forever" -- for the new movie.
"30 year later, they [came] back to me," Dion told ET while promoting "The Celine Dion Collection" of handbags, luggage and accessories with the Bugatti Group, which was unveiled at PROJECT WOMEN in Las Vegas on Tuesday, and will be available at select retailers across the globe in September.
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EXCLUSIVE: Celine Dion Opens Up About Singing New Song for 'Beauty and the Beast' 26 Years After the Original
"I saw the [new] movie, it's great, but there was something inside of me that was shaking little bit," she recalled. "They say, 'So what do you think? Would you consider singing this new 'Beauty and the Beast' song, 30 years later?' and I'm like, 'Uh, I have to listen to it again, because I need to be professional.'"
"To be honest with you, I said to them, 'That is so hard for me to commit [to] right now, because I felt like [I was] cheating [on] the first Beauty and the Beast," she continued, describing how "in love" she was with the first movie.
After much deliberation, however, Dion says it was speaking to the spirit of Angelil, who died last January after a long battle with throat cancer, that convinced her to go for it.
"I understood it was an amazing privilege again," she shared. "Beauty and the Beast had brought me to where I am today. I went back home, I listened to it… I kind of talked to Rene, and he said, 'You should.'"
As for how Dion feels about Ariana Grande and John Legend's rendition of "Beauty and the Beast" for the new movie? She couldn't be prouder.
"I can't refuse that," she said. "I'm so proud."
