It hurt me to hide my love from the world; Celine Dion tells of years of heartache ove r her secret affair.

Her songs provided mood music for lovers around the world.

But the depth of feeling with which Celine Dion invested every word was the only clue to her heartache.

For as she sang torch songs for lovers and loners the waif-like French Canadian carried a heavy load.

She could not share the joy of her own clandestine romance with a man old enough to be her father.
Her affair with manager Rene Angelil, married and 26 years her senior, remained a closely-kept secret for seven years.

The couple met when Celine was 12 and Rene was 38. By the time she was 19 they had become lovers.

They were afraid that the least whiff of scandal would destroy Celine's blossoming career and cause deep hurt to Rene's wife and three children.

"It was so difficult not to be able to share simple things, like walking hand-in-hand or exchanging a kiss in front of people," she says.

"Interviewers were always asking about my boyfriends. I had to tell them I didn't have any.

"We didn't want the music business to know about us. I wasn't sure how his children would react to the news of our love. I'd grown up with them all and didn't want to lose their friendship.

"But then Rene got divorced and I realised we were meant for each other."

The knowledge that she wanted to commit the rest of her life to Rene settled on Celine after the success of her recording of When I Fall in Love
used as theme to the 1993 movie weepie Sleepless In Seattle.

She decided to tell all in a footnote on the sleeve of her 1994 album The Colour of My Love.

Twelve million fans who bought the record were able to read her simple declaration of love. "Rene, for so many years I have kept our special dream locked away inside my heart but now it is getting too powerful to keep inside me anymore. Rene, you are the colour of my love."

He needed no second invitation. Old enough to be her father, Rene had long been deeply smitten
by Celine's vulnerability and strength.

Reports have it that he burst into tears when, chaperoned by her mum, the sweet-voiced 12-year-old first sang for him.

But he had enough foresight and faith in her ability to gamble all on her success and, in fact, mortgaged his house to finance the recording of her first album.

They married two years ago in a fairytale ceremony in Montreal attended by Celine's family, including her 13 brothers and sisters.

After the wedding she said: "I'm so happy. I can shout my love from the rooftops. It's a wonderful feeling."

Now 28, Celine hides a second concern. "I realise I may not be able to have a family with Rene," she says.

"But if we can't have children of our own, there are plenty in the world who need and love affection."

She joked: "Anyway, I've been enjoying the practice. And I wouldn't be without Rene for the world."

It is a partnership that has paid off handsomely and, in the process, made husband and wife millionaires.

By the time she was 18, Celine had released nine albums, all in French. Her name on the bill guaranteed a sell-out in any Montreal concert hall.

Now she can do the same in venues around the world. Her record company see her as successor to Barbra Streisand
and Whitney Houston.

Irish audiences can judge for themselves tonight and tomorrow at the Point Theatre. Dublin is second home to Celine.

It was there she won the Eurovision Song Contest in 1988 with Don't Leave Without Me.

Life now is an endless round of private jets, stretch limos and hotel suites.

Days as a five-year-old singing with the Dion family group are now a dim and distant memory to be dusted off occasionally and with care to remind herself of whence she came.

"I must have slept on the floor of every dance hall in Quebec," she says. "Dad played the accordion, mum the violin, and I slept under mum's coat."

As it is, home life is still far from normal. She owns two houses in Montreal, but has hardly set foot in them this year.

When her current world tour ends in Asia early next year, she plans to retreat to Florida for a year's rest.

"It'll be good, but I know there will be withdrawal symptoms

. After I've done all the cleaning and cooked the leftovers in the fridge, I'm going to start thinking about performing again.

"I see my job as providing an audience with dreams. Like when you see a beautiful movie. Even if people say `hey, that's not real life', wouldn't it be fantastic if it was?"