Here's Why Céline Dion's Mom Opposed Her Marriage to René Angélil

Celine Dion was barely a teenager when her and Rene Angelil’s love story began to unfold. Despite protests from her mother, love won, and their story became one of long-lasting success and devotion.

Rene and Celine’s passion for music brought them together in 1980. 12-years old at the time, Celine sang for the-then 38-year old Rene and impressed by her talent, he became her manager.

I went into his office, and I sang in front of him, and I was 12 years old, and we’ve been working together since that time,” Celine recalled.

Working closely alongside Rene, Celine felt connected to him because he believed in her talent, but during her late teens, Celine realized she had feelings for Rene.

"Maybe at 17, 18 years old, my feelings started to change for him. I kind of saw him differently," Celine told Access Online.

But Celine’s mother saw where the relationship between Rene and Celine headed, and because of the age gap, she tried to put a stop to it.

"When I told her I had some really strong feelings for Rene, she tried everything to kill him and make me snap out of it. I was very frustrated and mad at first, but she tried to make me understand that this man tried marriage twice before, he has three children, he's not responsible,” Celine recalled.

Celine’s mother wanted the “perfect Prince Charming” for Celine, but when the rest of the family fell “in love with him,” she had no choice but to accept the situation.

After Celine became a mother, she better understood what her mother went through. "If I reversed roles -- when I had my first son, RC, if I think of him and he comes [to me] with this lady who has kids and she's 45 and she thinks she knows best, [I'd be] like, 'Take your hand off of my son,'" she said.

In 1994, Rene and Celine got married. Shortly after, Celine’s career exploded when she sang “My Heart Will Go On,” the theme song to “Titanic,” which became an instant hit and a timeless classic.

Their lives took an unexpected turn when Rene got diagnosed with throat cancer in 1999. He underwent six weeks of radiation and two surgeries. “When something like this happens to you, it hits you so hard,” Celine said. “But I felt very strong because I said to myself, ‘René needs me maybe for the first time in my life.’”

The following year, Rene got declared cancer-free, and the couple decided to renew their vows. Celine took a two-year break from her career to spend more time with Rene.

Being married and working together had its challenges, and Celine admitted that it wasn’t always easy. "Rene and I had our tough times. It wasn't always easy. We had tension between us. It's never easy being husband and wife but add to that we are in business together, dealing with all the added pressures of shows, concerts, tours, traveling. It was hard -- a lot of hard work."

But Celine had an unwavering love for Rene, whose health deteriorated considerably before his death in January 2016, as Celine added, "For three years, my husband did not have a sip of water or food. He was eating through a tube. The only thing I hoped while he was in three years of agony -- I wanted him to live in peace. I wanted him to feel so light and no worries.”

Rene will always be the love of Celine’s life, the man who made her successes possible. "He taught me everything. He's the only man I've seen. He's the only man I've loved. I've never kissed another man in my life," she admitted.

In 2018, sources close to Celine spoke about how the iconic singer had been coping since Rene died.

As an integral part of her life for almost 40 years, Celine still mourns the loss of her husband. According to the sources, Celine Dion may never date again and gave the reasons why.