Celine Dion has revealed she promised her sick husband she will be there for him after he told her he wants to die in her arms.

The 47-year-old singer is about to return to her Las Vegas residency after a year off to care for husband and former manager Rene Angelil, 73, who is battling throat cancer.

Celine, who cancelled all her shows last August to care for Rene, told USA Today: “I’ll say, ‘You’re scared? I understand. Talk to me about it.’ And Rene says to me, ‘I want to die in your arms.’ OK, fine, I’ll be there, you’ll die in my arms.”

Celine Dion performing in 2012
Celine Dion has been off work for a year (April L Brown/AP)

The star admitted returning to work had been a hard decision.

“I didn’t want to be here at first, I don’t need it. Don’t get me wrong, I love singing for people, but I have priorities,” she said.

“But Rene really gave me a gift. All my grieving, it was during this last year. I think I’ve got this. For now. When it hits me, it’s going to hit me. But my biggest job is to tell my husband, we’re fine. I’ll take care of our kids. You’ll watch us from another spot.”

She added: “Don’t forget, he’s been the leader of the band all my life. So it (hacks) him off to not see me all day and over here working. But he wants me to do this, do the show, do the interviews. But he freaks when I’m not home with him, too.”

 Celine Dion poses with her husband Rene Angelil
Celine wants to be there for her husband (Lynne Sladky/AP)

Celine said watching Rene battle cancer had been very challenging.

She revealed: “You look at your husband who’s very sick and you can’t help, and it kills you. Or you look at your husband that’s sick and you say, ‘I got you. I got it. I’m here. It’s going to be just fine.’

“You can have your shaking knees at the end, but when someone you love falls and needs help, it’s not time to cry. Afterwards, sure. But not yet.”

The couple have three sons, Rene-Charles, 14, and four-year-old twins, Nelson and Eddy, who Celine said, “don’t know their father in any other state, and I’ll say ‘Come on, let’s go feed Dad,’ and they’ll come along with me.”