Celine Dion on Her Close 'Bond' With Pepe Munoz and If She'll Ever Love Again (Exclusive)
It's safe to say that Celine Dion is living her best life.
ET recently spoke to the 51-year-old singer, who's more popular than ever these days thanks to her bold fashion and fearlessness when it comes to being herself. Dion opened up to ET about feeling more control over her career than she ever has before, her relationship with dancer Pepe Munoz and possibly dating again after the death of her late husband, Rene Angelil.
"I think I was always courageous," Dion says, when asked the title of her highly anticipated upcoming album, Courage, set to debut in November. "I hope it doesn't sound pretentious to say that, but I always stressed a lot. We always kind of like just do whatever they suggest to me -- not that I was a robot or anything, not to sound kind of weird, like, do this do that -- but I feel like right now I'm more in charge than ever before and this is definitely a part of my life where the maturity kicks in."
"So, courage... it represents a whole new life for me, my album, the tour, the way to dress, the way to say you can't please everyone," she continues. "I dress for me; the way I feel. I want to feel that I feel great about myself, I feel strong about myself, I feel good about my decisions with the help of a lot of people, but it's all about courage and I think everyone should feel like that."
When it comes to her love life, Dion insists she's a "single lady" and clarifies that she's just best friends with Munoz, a 34-year-old dancer from Spain. In July, the singer's team publicly refuted tabloid reports that Munoz had too much influence over her.
"We met and we bonded as best friends and then we built a number in four hours," Dion recalls about meeting Munoz three years ago, calling their bond "immediate." "We were laughing constantly, we had to be like children! 'Pay attention! Calm down!' And then he became my stylist, my friend, dancing with me, illustrator, I mean, and now he's part of also two productions, doing quite a bit."
When asked if she'll ever get to the point if she wanted to find love again, Dion replied with respect to Munoz, "I don't know which way, but it won't be that way because Pepe is gay."
Dion stresses that she will "never find another love like Rene again." Dion and Angelil, whom she had known since she was 12 years old, were married for 21 years before he died in January 2016 after a battle with throat cancer. They had three kids together, 18-year-old Rene Charles and 8-year-old twins Nelson and Eddy.
"But at the same time I have to say that I still feel today I have been, still, the luckiest woman in the world as far as I’m concerned because I have dated the best man in the world -- the father of my children," Dion says. "And every day, I still see him because my three children... they look so much like him, and do so many things just like him, and this is just amazing. He was a very exceptional man."
"Rene is with me all the time," she adds. "And that's why I find the courage. That's why I am strong and that's why I'm finding with time, even more strength, because as single mom I have to teach my kids independence, because it's extremely important to be independent in life."
Still, she isn't closing the door on dating again.
"Am I going to love again? I am in love, I am in love with my life, I am in love with my children, I’m in love with my work," Dion shares. "I love what I do today even more than before. Am I going to have a partner in my life? We'll stay tuned and if I do, I will share it and it would be a pleasure to share it. It's a chapter that's closed, but it's not something that's dead. You evolve and maybe sometimes you meet a friend and it turns out into something bigger than that. Who knows and maybe not? But I will let you know. I promise."
It is definitely a new era for Dion, who's about to kick off her Courage World Tour on Wednesday in Quebec City, Quebec. Dion says that these days, she's learned it's important to live life to the fullest and that she feels like she's aging in reverse.
"My friends from Spain or Vegas or through Los Angeles, they have given me an opportunity to see something different in life that working hard in life is important," Dion says. "To be the best of yourself is important. To be the best of who you are is important. But also to enjoy life is important. And they're so kind because they let me see what it's all about to see a play and what it's all about, for example to dance with Pepe is also such a therapeutic thing for me. To go shopping and see things with the girls... to go out with them, I feel like I'm younger."
Last month, Dion talked about embracing her over-the-top love of high fashion. Watch the video below for more:
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