For some personalities, revealing a pathology is also a way of controlling the narrative in the face of rumors, by breaking the silence at the right time. In December 2022, Celine Dion announced on Instagram that she suffers from stiff person syndrome, an extremely rare neurological condition that stiffens her muscles and threatens her voice. In a message, the diva cuts short the speculation that has been swelling for months about the cancellation of her concerts, her drawn features, her emaciated body, and regains control of her story. A necessary confession, because "lying is a heavy burden to bear," admits Celine Dion on American television. Kate Middleton is waiting until March 22, 2024 to publicly address her cancer diagnosis. After weeks of media blackout by the royal family, the absence of the Princess of Wales had given free rein to the craziest theories. #WhereIsKate flooded social networks. Sitting on a bench, in the middle of a rural setting, she puts out the fire. "It was a huge shock," she confides, before reassuring and asking for "time, space and privacy" for her family. A controlled communication that encourages empathy and puts an end to all rumours.
This demystification of celebrities puts an end to decades of silence around their health, which erected fragility as a state secret, with press officers claiming the nervous exhaustion of artists ravaged by illness. Elvis on drugs, Marilyn Monroe interned under a pseudonym or Rock Hudson struck down by AIDS embodied absolute omerta: the star had to personify invincibility, even at the cost of lying. To admit an illness would have been to crack the myth of untouchable and eternal idols. Today, the pact has changed, the public no longer admires only the voice or the talent; He applauds those who have the courage to say "I suffer". And if the words of stars are the ultimate proof of their humanity, they also illustrate a growing need for collective empathy.
