Céline Dionis celebrating her 51st birthday with a title she never expected.
Opening up to PEOPLE in this week’s issue, Dion shares what all it has taken to make her feel this way, following thedevastating loss of her husbandof 21 yearsRené Angélilin January 2016. The hardest part was comforting her sons René-Charles, 18, and8-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy. “All the little things in life, and the big things, they have to make you stronger,” she says, “Otherwise, you don’t understand the meaning of life itself.”
Sofia Sanchez & Mauro Mongiello for L’Oréal Paris

As the star prepares to close out her long-running hitLas Vegas residency at Caesar’s Palace, she says it’s this newfound strength that has inspired her to follow new passions including totallyrevamping her style.
“I love fashion,” says Dion who credits her stylists, including dancer andvery close pal Pepe Muñoz, with helping her choose bold looks that are “reflecting how I feel inside.”
Philippe Blet/REX/Shutterstock

On the outside, she admits she maylook a little slimmer, but that is part of another positive change she’s made. “Dancing has been in my DNA all of my life,” says Dion who once dreamed of becoming a ballerina and has recently taken up ballet dance with the help of Muñoz. “It’s a dream. And so hard!”
Thoughonline criticshave tried to call attention to her appearance, she’s not paying them any attention: “I do this four times a week,” Dion says of ballet practice. “People say, ‘She’s a lot thinner’ but I’m working hard. I like to move and [weight loss] comes with it.”
Denise Truscello for L’Oréal Paris

Besides, Dion says feeling good is where beauty really comes from. “This is about confidence,” she says of what teaming up with the brand means to her. Gearing up to help promote L’Oréal’s Hair Excellence color line as well as various cosmetic products, Dion says “beauty is within, but when you can reflect it in the mirror, you’re ready to hit the world.”
source: people.com