Here's why Celine Dion's iconic ballad nearly didn't make it into Titanic

How can you watch Titanic without singing along to My Heart Will Go On?

While it's now impossible to imagine Titanic without singing My Heart Will Go On, it turns out that Celine Dion's iconic ballad was almost cut from the film.

The film’s producer, Sherry Lansing, had some pretty big reservations about the cheesy track and went back and forth with director James Cameron about it for ages.

The revelation comes from Sherry's new biography Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker. In an excerpt via The Hollywood Reporter, she admitted: ‘I said, "Jim, isn't this a little corny?" He said, "Oh my God, Sherry! The song is fantastic.'"'

Despite Lansing’s reluctance, the track was featured and the Hollywood blockbuster wound up winning over 121 awards, taking home a gong at both the Oscars and the Golden Globes, for best original song for My Heart Will Go On.

Aside from Lansing’s aversion to Celine Dion’s music, her biography Leading Lady: Sherry Lansing and the Making of a Hollywood Groundbreaker also talks about the chaos behind the scenes of the film. Other dramatic snippets include the tensions behind the film's steep price tag, troubles within the Titanic cast and its comically extravagant set which included a real Russian submarine that almost didn't work.

The award-winning film celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, with director James Cameron thrown into the spotlight as he has announced the release dates for three sequels to his last blockbuster, Avatar, with the next instalment premiering in December 2018.