10/18/2010

Celine Dion taken to hospital ahead of birth of twins

Singer Celine Dion, pictured here on January 2010, has entered hospital in the US state of Florida in a precautionary move to prevent her twins from being born early, medical officials said Monday.

October 18, 2010 (KATAKAMI / FRANCE 24/ AFP) – Canadian pop diva Celine Dion has entered hospital in the US state of Florida in a precautionary move to prevent her twins from being born early, medical officials said Monday.

“Celine Dion has been admitted to St Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida for observation at the recommendation of her doctors,” the hospital said in a statement.

Hospitalizing Dion, 42, was an effort by doctors “to prevent the early delivery of her babies which is the standard of care for any patient with twin pregnancy in this clinical setting.”

The “My Heart Will Go On” singer and her husband-manager Rene Angelil, 68, who have a nine-year-old son, are expecting twin boys, Dion announced on her website in July.

The pregnancy was the result of Dion’s sixth in-vitro fertilization attempt, according to reports.
On Monday the hospital sought to refute rumors that Dion had made specific demands on the facility, including reports that she was planning a C-section delivery on a particular day in late October.

“She is not scheduled at any predetermined date for her delivery,” the hospital said. “She has not requested or selected any particular staff, or accommodations not available to other patients.”

Dion, a five-time Grammy winner, is expected to return to Las Vegas, Nevada, next March to begin a three-year residency at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.