On Jan. 14, 2016, the love of Celine Dion’s life, René Angélil, passed away from throat cancer, leaving the singer and their three children to walk a long, winding road of grief. But throughout her heartache and sorrow, the 49-year-old has found one outlet to ease her pain. That outlet? Fashion.

Opening up in a new interview with People magazine, Celine explained that while she’s always had an eye for style, fashion, in particular, has helped her deal with the loss of not only her husband but the death of her brother, Daniel, who passed away from cancer just two days after René.

“I’ve always loved fashion, from as far back as I can remember,” she said. “But as everyone knows, I’ve gone through some extremely difficult times in recent years, and I suppose that I’m spreading my wings a little bit more these days and doing so with the help of beautiful clothing and accessories.”

“Fashion is fun. Fashion is fantasy,” she continued. “It can often provide the escape that we need to take our minds of our daily problems, even if only for a short but necessary time.” Celine has been embracing her creative side of late, even posing naked for Vogue.

Previously speaking out about the agony of living her life without René, Celine has described her aching heart as something that will never heal. “I think I will probably grieve for the rest of my life,” she confessed.

“I miss him a lot. I miss him a lot — for my partner, for the man I was embracing, kissing, making love with. My worries, my dreams . ” Fortunately, she finds some hope, happiness, and creativity in the clothes she chooses (and refuses) to wear.

“Fashion can have a huge influence on how we feel from day-to-day,” she said. “We can be feeling a little bit down when we wake up to face the day, but things start to brighten up a little when we put on that fancy outfit, with the vibrant colors and a spectacular pair of heels.”

This post was written by Ellie McDonald. It originally appeared on our sister site, Now to Love.