Céline Dion’s inner circle is becoming increasingly worried about her relationship with her best friend, Pepe Muñoz. Or at least according to a collection of anonymous sources quoted by Page Six.
If these nameless, faceless folk are a) real and b) to be believed, the legendary singer has found herself firmly under the thumb of the backup dancer since her husband, René Angélil, passed away after treatment for throat cancer in 2015. So much so, that the 30-something-year-old has reportedly cut her off from anyone but a small “clique” of people.
Celiné talks about how Pepe helped her through the grieving process. Post continues after video.
“Pepe is like her boy toy who is really trying to take over. He’s isolating her and people are feeling it,” one of the anonymous sources told the tabloid. “She’s in love with this guy and listens to everything he’s saying. People go to him when they have questions. He’s fully taken over.”
Another Source Who Shall Not Be Named added, “People are freaked out by it. He has this clique that he keeps very small. It’s Céline, himself, a hair person and the stylist. That’s the group — even management goes to him when they need something.”
Who is Pepe Muñoz?
Pepe Muñoz and Céline Dion have reportedly been friends since 2017, and the singer has credited him with being an integral part of her healing process after the deaths of her husband and, later the same year, her brother Daniel.
“We dance together, and he did so much for me and even just holding my hand,” the mother of three told Extra back in April.
"It’s something that I haven’t had for a long time — a hug from a 6'3" man. It was wonderful.
“He did so much for me; for my mental health, my spirituality, my strength… my inner strength.”
Speculation about the nature of the relationship between the pair has been rife from the beginning, despite the fact that Muñoz is gay.
Dion has done her best to squash suggestion that their love for each is anything but platonic, but it seems the image of a bereaved pop star turning to a handsome young man is far too appealing for anyone to pay attention to her denials. Or to his sexuality.
"The press said, ‘Oh my God, René just passed and now there’s another man.’ Yeah, there’s another man in my life, but not the man in my life," Dion told The Sun back in January. "We’re friends, we’re best friends."
Top Comments
"The tabloids aren't buying it". Which means 'the tabloids have manufactured another story they can sell to the gullible, along with fake celebrity/royal pregnancies, fake celebrity/royal affairs, fake celebrity/royal divorces, and fake celebrity/royal feuds'.
Though saying that, some celebrities do find themselves controlled by handlers and "friends" who manipulate for their own ends. And Celine really isn't looking healthy these days, so I can understand the potential red flags.
True, but usually it's older celebs who aren't as on the ball as perhaps they used to be. Was it Zsa Zsa Gabor who was married to that creepy 'prince' who claimed he was also the father of Anna Nicole Smith's baby? Celine seems to still have most of her faculties, and frankly I trust these tabloid 'sources' accuracy about as much as I'd trust the horoscope in my local newspaper.
No, it's not just an issue with older celebrities - don't forget that many times celebrities have mental health or substance abuse problems that make them especially vulnerable to influence, especially when they are already socially isolated on account of their fame. For instance, a restraining order had to be taken out on Sam Lufti to get him away from Britney Spears. Elvis Presley was surrounded with handlers who are widely documented to have had only their own interests at heart.