That British dude who got drunk on Christmas Eve and changed his name to Celine Dion says even though he’s sobered up, he’s perfectly happy with his new name and isn’t going to change it back.

In a first-person essay for Metro, the man formerly known as Thomas Dodd explains, “I’ve always been a huge fan of hers…A few years ago I went to see her in Birmingham where I splashed out on VIP tickets…Even before that, I considered ‘I Drove All Night’ my anthem and would blast it through my car stereo on the way home from night shifts.”

“Her music is also what has seen me through lockdown; watching her concerts has been my go-to activity when there’s been nothing else to do,” he adds. “Maybe it’s a bigger surprise this didn’t happen sooner!”

Thomas — excuse us, Celine — adds that the people at his job have been “brilliant” about his name change, adding, “They already knew I was bloomin’ bonkers so I don’t think they were actually too surprised when I told them.”  As for his parents, he says, “They’ve slowly warmed to the decision and can laugh about it.”

His name change even landed him on The Ellen DeGeneres Show, which gifted him $10,000 to help him re-train for a new career. So he took the money he’d already saved toward that goal and purchased books, stationary and tablets for local kids to help with homeschooling.

Noting that he hopes the real Celine will find his name change “funny,” he concludes, “Life as Celine Dion has been great so far and I’m hoping that when things start opening up a bit that it will only get better — I don’t think I’ll ever struggle to book a table in a restaurant again.”

By Andrea Dresdale
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