A Staffordshire man formerly known as Thomas Dodd has discovered he legally changed his name to Céline Dion during a boozy night at home.
In an interview with The New York Post, the 30-year-old self-confessed superfan said he had spent much of lockdown watching Céline Dion concerts at home. It was while watching one particular show on Christmas Eve with a magnum of Champagne that the drunken idea struck him, forking out £89 for the online application.
“I honestly, hand on heart, don’t remember doing it!” he told The New York Post. “I remember watching the concert and remember getting rather tipsy.”
It wasn’t until days later when the official documents turned up in his mailbox that he realised what had happened, and that he had legally renamed himself after the iconic Canadian singer.
“I wasn’t aware I had done it until I found that envelope in my post,” he explained. “Initially, I had to sit down as I couldn’t believe it – so I then checked my bank which confirmed it all.”
“Once it sunk in, I signed it straight away as I bloody love her!” he said.
Dion revealed the escapade on his personal Twitter account, where he shared photos of the documents.
Tier 4 is the least of my worries – I’ve just got home to some post. Apparently at some point over Christmas I’ve had one too many vinos and legally changed my name to Celine Dion! pic.twitter.com/ZchXWiqhUw
— Celine Dion (@ThomasDodd1) December 30, 2020
Speaking to Birmingham Live, Dion said he was “glad it’s entertaining people”.
“Hopefully it will give people a laugh even if it is at my expense.”
He added that he’s in no hurry to change it back and is interested to see what kind of perks will come with being Céline Dion.
“I’m a little concerned that if I start telling people my name is Celine Dion I’ll get sectioned. However, it may come with its perks,” he told Birmingham Live.
“I tried singing Céline in the shower this morning and I can assure everyone I haven’t inherited her voice or bank balance. If this gets to Celine someone best make sure I have a defibrillator next to me.”
As for the Canadian singer Céline Dion, her last album release was 2019’s ‘Courage’. The record suffered the biggest fall for an album debuting at Number One on Billboard’s history after plummeting out of the top 100.
The singer was scheduled for a UK arena tour in 2020, but the shows were postponed due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. The tour is now expected to kick off in the coming spring.
