Did Rene Angelil groom Celine Dion?

[comingback]

back to the grooming rumor

 

[george_matei]

1 hour ago, comingback said:

back to the grooming rumor

 

Listen, I ve said it before, and I know it s an unpopular opinion, but for me her relationship with a lot more older man than her was always taken with a grain of salt and seemed wrong. On the bright side, from what we know and obviously seen, he was the right one, especially as a manager. Always protected her and her interests. That s why, thankfully, we re not finding her involved in scandals, such as Epstein or other dubious things happening in the Hollywood world. But for me, as a 24 yr old man to date someone under 22 for example it seems almost illegal. You know what I mean? Even tho the ofical version claim that they had their first kiss in '88, it s hard for me to believe it. Or maybe I m wrong and that was their first romantic spot. Still weird and wrong for a man in his late 40s to kiss and have a romantic relationship with a 20 yr old girl. For me, from what I ve seen in her interviews from different decades, she really talks like a groomed person. But that s another discussion and as I said it before, her personal life it s not my business. She can have whoever she wants. As long as she s happy and healthy, I m more than pleased as a fan. Please, take with indulgence what I ve said before, it s just my pov on that specific matter. I have huge respect for what Rene did for Celine the singer, mother and wife. 

[PuraVida]

16 minutes ago, george_matei said:

Listen, I ve said it before, and I know it s an unpopular opinion, but for me her relationship with a lot more older man than her was always taken with a grain of salt and seemed wrong. On the bright side, from what we know and obviously seen, he was the right one, especially as a manager. Always protected her and her interests. That s why, thankfully, we re not finding her involved in scandals, such as Epstein or other dubious things happening in the Hollywood world. But for me, as a 24 yr old man to date someone under 22 for example it seems almost illegal. You know what I mean? Even tho the ofical version claim that they had their first kiss in '88, it s hard for me to believe it. Or maybe I m wrong and that was their first romantic spot. Still weird and wrong for a man in his late 40s to kiss and have a romantic relationship with a 20 yr old girl. For me, from what I ve seen in her interviews from different decades, she really talks like a groomed person. But that s another discussion and as I said it before, her personal life it s not my business. She can have whoever she wants. As long as she s happy and healthy, I m more than pleased as a fan. Please, take with indulgence what I ve said before, it s just my pov on that specific matter. I have huge respect for what Rene did for Celine the singer, mother and wife. 

Maybe it's a topic that deserves its own thread here on the forum

[comingback]

42 minutes ago, george_matei said:

Listen, I ve said it before, and I know it s an unpopular opinion, but for me her relationship with a lot more older man than her was always taken with a grain of salt and seemed wrong. On the bright side, from what we know and obviously seen, he was the right one, especially as a manager. Always protected her and her interests. That s why, thankfully, we re not finding her involved in scandals, such as Epstein or other dubious things happening in the Hollywood world. But for me, as a 24 yr old man to date someone under 22 for example it seems almost illegal. You know what I mean? Even tho the ofical version claim that they had their first kiss in '88, it s hard for me to believe it. Or maybe I m wrong and that was their first romantic spot. Still weird and wrong for a man in his late 40s to kiss and have a romantic relationship with a 20 yr old girl. For me, from what I ve seen in her interviews from different decades, she really talks like a groomed person. But that s another discussion and as I said it before, her personal life it s not my business. She can have whoever she wants. As long as she s happy and healthy, I m more than pleased as a fan. Please, take with indulgence what I ve said before, it s just my pov on that specific matter. I have huge respect for what Rene did for Celine the singer, mother and wife. 

We discussed the grooming rumor on this forum before and yes, it's very complex. 

On the hand, Rene was a great manager, husband and father.

On the other hand, you can't deny the toxic/unhealthy relationship between an older man which is the manager and the young girl/woman who wants to become a big star ..

Yes, a seperate topic would be great.

the discussion in the random topic in 2023 (at the end of the page).

Edited February 18, 2026 at 06:05 PM by comingback

[LukeD]

I am not sure what to believe - was she groomed? was she not groomed? I probably lean towards the former. But it does not matter. What does matter is that grooming is not framed as Celine's responsibility. Many narratives around grooming either directly or indirectly blame her of 'benefiting' from it. You cannot have it both ways. If someone insists that Celine was groomed, then she was the victim of that behaviour. It is a very serious discussion, we really do not have full evidence, and definitely the filter through which we look at this type of dynamic right now is very different from the filter back in the 1980s. This is another important consideration, in my opinion. 

[tshlw]

None of us can truly say one way or another as we were not there.

Yes it is not norm for a someone so much older to fall for someone so young. But from all accounts in this one instance he was the right person for her. Unlike in say Mariah's case.

I will continue to go with Celine and how she feels. She feels she was not taken advantage of and to this day still loves him.  I do not feel she is someone so who was groomed as much as lead a shelter or different existence then rest of us because of her fame and fortune.

[Squall]

I think back when Celine and Rene's relationship went public it was seen like a fairy tale. Like they were always meant to be. Then they had the "royal" wedding. They always presented themselves as the perfect couple. And to this day, Celine doesn't appear to think of herself as a victim of anything. But, if this were to come out today, I think there would be far more scrutiny over the relationship. It just came out that Tobey Maguire is dating is dating a 20 year old and he's 50. And Leonardo DiCaprio is always with girls much younger.

[comingback]

7 minutes ago, tshlw said:

None of us can truly say one way or another as we were not there.

Yes it is not norm for a someone so much older to fall for someone so young. But from all accounts in this one instance he was the right person for her. Unlike in say Mariah's case.

I will continue to go with Celine and how she feels. She feels she was not taken advantage of and to this day still loves him.  I do not feel she is someone so who was groomed as much as lead a shelter or different existence then rest of us because of her fame and fortune.

It's not only about the age, it's about power imbalance (manager/young singer).

[george_matei]

1 minute ago, comingback said:

It's not only about the age, it's about power imbalance (manager/young singer).

Yep, that s right! I wondered maybe Rene never wanted Celine to get really involved so she can always feel dependent of him and his choices. 

[comingback]

 

[comingback]

Can the moderators transfer the discussion from the Random topic to this topic please? Thank You

[Squall]

17 minutes ago, george_matei said:

Yep, that s right! I wondered maybe Rene never wanted Celine to get really involved so she can always feel dependent of him and his choices. 

As her manager, I'm sure he felt that he knew what was best for her and her career. So, yeah. He wanted to be the decision maker for everything. And look where it got her. One of the biggest stars in the world.

Edited February 18, 2026 at 06:30 PM by Squall

[Squall]

I think when Rene met Celine, his intention was to be her manager and make her a star. And he did that. Along the way, they spent a lot of time together and feelings grew. 

I think the biggest question is whether or not their telling of when the relationship crossed the line from professional to romantic is accurate. Was it really after she was an adult. Or before? Do they just fudge the dates so there's less criticism? We'll never know. 

I think it is safe to say that if Celine's manager was anybody else, she would not have had the career that she did. 

[tshlw]

42 minutes ago, comingback said:

It's not only about the age, it's about power imbalance (manager/young singer).

That is true.
 

Not saying that if this was happening today that is should not be looked at closely at least by those around her. But what can a discussion now do. We can not dig up Rene and question him to see if his intentions were to groom her or he truly fell in love.
 

All I can think no wonder stars try and stay away from social media as everyone makes judgements on their lives. Or how does this effect Rene's kids that so many without facts call him a pedophile  or groomer.  This is a general statement and not saying anyone here has said this.

[tshlw]

27 minutes ago, Squall said:

I think when Rene met Celine, his intention was to be her manager and make her a star. And he did that. Along the way, they spent a lot of time together and feelings grew. 

I think the biggest question is whether or not their telling of when the relationship crossed the line from professional to romantic is accurate. Was it really after she was an adult. Or before? Do they just fudge the dates so there's less criticism? We'll never know. 

I think it is safe to say that if Celine's manager was anybody else, she would not have had the career that she did. 

That brings into question than Mama Dion who traveled everywhere with her till she was 18 and over. Personally I do not believe anything happened until she was over at least 18 as I do not think he was ever really along with her before then because Mama Dion was always there. 

[tshlw]

Question for all what is your definition for grooming?

And I am sure based on my profile all know I do not believe he groomed her. I believe they fell in love. Was it weird I guess by what we say as a society yes was their a power imbalance yes. But I do not believe Rene's intention was nefarious. 

[Alex_Incognito]

There would be no Celine as we know her without Rene. We have no reason not to believe the story they presented us about the evolution of their relationship. 

[CelinesDIVO5]

1 hour ago, LukeD said:

I am not sure what to believe - was she groomed? was she not groomed? I probably lean towards the former. But it does not matter. What does matter is that grooming is not framed as Celine's responsibility. Many narratives around grooming either directly or indirectly blame her of 'benefiting' from it. You cannot have it both ways. If someone insists that Celine was groomed, then she was the victim of that behaviour. It is a very serious discussion, we really do not have full evidence, and definitely the filter through which we look at this type of dynamic right now is very different from the filter back in the 1980s. This is another important consideration, in my opinion. 

I tend to go with the former as well. Celine’s mom was with her for every single thing up until she was past 18 years old. I think Celine may have been a bit sheltered, as she did drop out of school and basically grew up in show business, much under the watchful hawk eye of her mother I would say almost or right up until “Unison.” All she knew was performing. She didn’t hang out with friends, she didn’t do much socializing outside or her family, record execs and producers. But she is otherwise a wise and open minded human being. She wasn’t dumbed down, nor does she speak as if she were brainwashed. I don’t think Celine comes off as a groomed child star. I don’t believe she would have recorded “My Love” or spoken publicly about the fact that she almost left Rene at one point in their marriage, if she had been. Men who groom young/teens make sure that their victims only have one way of thinking about them without deviation. 

[CelinesDIVO5]

1 hour ago, comingback said:

It's not only about the age, it's about power imbalance (manager/young singer).

Therese was there for the entire beginning of Celine’s career, and I guarantee that woman wouldn’t allow Rene to get away with any wacky s***. 

[CelinesDIVO5]

1 hour ago, Squall said:

I think when Rene met Celine, his intention was to be her manager and make her a star. And he did that. Along the way, they spent a lot of time together and feelings grew. 

I think the biggest question is whether or not their telling of when the relationship crossed the line from professional to romantic is accurate. Was it really after she was an adult. Or before? Do they just fudge the dates so there's less criticism? We'll never know. 

I think it is safe to say that if Celine's manager was anybody else, she would not have had the career that she did. 

Their story has remained consistent for decades though, which makes me believe that they were telling the truth. Rather than with stories like MHWGO where she first said she loved it right away to the story of hating it and then singing it in one take. 

[PuraVida]

43 minutes ago, tshlw said:

That brings into question than Mama Dion who traveled everywhere with her till she was 18 and over. Personally I do not believe anything happened until she was over at least 18 as I do not think he was ever really along with her before then because Mama Dion was always there. 

That's important to note that her mother traveled everywhere with her until she was at least 18...but of course that part gets left out by anyone who isn't a Celine fan. And her sister was there for a short time too, as a background singer--and she was mostly doing tours in Quebec for a long while, so never too far from family.

What's annoying is all the blatant misinformation that's spread about how she married at 18, 20, etc... or fabricated quotes about how her parents essentially signed/gave her away. She got married at 26.

[comingback]

Do you guys really believe the Eurovision story?🤔

[Peppercorn1991]

19 minutes ago, comingback said:

Do you guys really believe the Eurovision story?🤔

Edited February 18, 2026 at 08:25 PM by Peppercorn1991

[queenofvegas]

In My Story, My Dream Celine mentions how she would fantasize about Rene as a young teen and made multiple advances on him. And it's implied that he was aware of her feelings towards him. There was tension between them much earlier than Eurovision. I haven't read that book in a while but I remember getting major ick from it. The way she talked about their relationship was super weird.

[celine2199]

Rene had loved and protected Celine all his life,and didn't he left all his money to Celine in his will?So if that's grooming,I'm sure most women would love to sign up for that kind of grooming...but at the beginning of their romantic relationship, I do think Rene was not only thinking about the woman,he might also want to secure the singer once and for all,he definitely wouldn't want his singer run away with her boyfriend or husband  AGAIN...😅 anyway,they proved to the world afterwards they were a perfect couple with a 22-year marriage till death did them apart,so what more do you ask for,look around you,can you find a couple that has a relationship like they had,I know I can not...😆 The only thing I'm not happy about Rene as Celine's husband and manager is that he overworked her,he might have protected Celine from many evils of showbiz, but clearly overworking was not one of them...

[Davey84]

I think this topic is disgusting and René's and Céline's love story is none of our and the worlds business.

[comingback]

3 hours ago, queenofvegas said:

In My Story, My Dream Celine mentions how she would fantasize about Rene as a young teen and made multiple advances on him. And it's implied that he was aware of her feelings towards him. There was tension between them much earlier than Eurovision. I haven't read that book in a while but I remember getting major ick from it. The way she talked about their relationship was super weird.

According to the book, in 1985 when they were in Paris she told him that she loves him. But he didn't react. He had a divorce going on.

Celine was heartbroken and Maman Dion was angry with Rene.

In 1985, she released the album C'est Pour Toi, which is clearly about Rene.

She was 17 years old.

That's the official story...

 

Edited February 19, 2026 at 09:45 AM by comingback

[queenofvegas]

17 hours ago, Davey84 said:

I think this topic is disgusting and René's and Céline's love story is none of our and the worlds business.

They're public figures. It's reasonable for people to talk about their relationship, especially because of the circumstances of how they met and the large age gap.

[Nmj]

I think it was clear especially after year 2000, and the birth of RC that while Rene was left almost solely in charge of her caree…. at home she was the boss. I think had she been “groomed” it would be less likely that would be the case. 
 

 

[scarletpimpernel]

22 minutes ago, Nmj said:

I think it was clear especially after year 2000, and the birth of RC that while Rene was left almost solely in charge of her caree…. at home she was the boss. I think had she been “groomed” it would be less likely that would be the case. 
 

 

Does this pic look like a victim or a boss 😄 I think what  helped them is that when they went public with it at the time of The colour of my love album, because she made it so clear where she stood and what she wanted,  and looked so fierce and certainly not like a weak victim about it especially in the only one road music video, people accepted it and were happy if she was.