Champs-Elysees, studio gabriel, Can’t wait for Sunday… Since he has been on TV, Michel Drucker has hosted cult shows and hosted thousands of personalities from all walks of life. Over time, he had become friends with several stars including the late singer Johnny Hallyday, to whom he paid tribute, collapsed, on the small screen or the singer Céline Dion. With this one, it’s a story that has lasted since 1982, the year he introduced it to the French.
In the pages of special issue 1500 of Gala, which devotes an entire theme to celebrity by giving voice to various stars, we discover that the general French public has placed Celine Dion on the top step of the podium of favorite stars. The opportunity to draw his portrait and to involve one of his relatives, Michel Drucker. “Here, in Paris, it all started. I felt intuitively that this duo [avec René Angélil, son manager puis son mari, NDLR]who devoured each other with his gaze, was not passing through“, he recalls.
The host assures that the deceased husband of Céline was of the loyal type, systematically giving him time during their visits to France even if France 2 was not always a sponsor of the new discs of the diva. “René has always been very grateful to me (…) One day, she came to do a special program, between two concerts, without asking for a fee, while shortly after, on a foreign TV where she was singing for the Chinese New Year, her staff asked for 2 million dollars for three songs. Our relationship was really special“, he added.
Michel Drucker, who took advantage of this interview to talk about Celine’s health, also revealed a little anecdote that says a lot about the deep friendship that the couple had for him. “I went to see them at home, in Florida, in Las Vegas, I even spent a Christmas in a very small group in their castle in Quebec, where Céline showered me with gifts under the tree. She has always been very generous. I was so embarrassed“, he recalled.
Galaedition of March 10, 2022.