Céline Dept (Flemish pronunciation: [seːˈlin(ə) ˈdɛpt]; born 8 December 1999) is a Belgian influencer who is active on TikTok and YouTube, and the first Belgian to reach 10 million subscribers on YouTube.[2] She began uploading videos to TikTok in April 2019, and by January 2020, had the highest amount of TikTok followers of any Belgian influencer, with around 2.7 million followers. She additionally hosts the YouTube channel Celine & Michiel [nl] with her partner and fellow influencer Michiel Callebaut, with whom she appeared in a feature-length movie in 2022. Dept is known for her content relating to football, dance, lip syncs, and pranks. She has been sponsored by various brands and started her own clothing line in 2022.

Céline Dept
Dept in white football jersey with right hand on chest
Dept in 2024
Personal information
Born (1999-12-08) 8 December 1999 (age 24)
OriginOstend, West Flanders, Belgium
PartnerMichiel Callebaut
Websitecemishop.com
YouTube information
Channels
Years active2019–present
Subscribers36.9 million[1]
Associated acts
100,000 subscribers2023
1,000,000 subscribers2023
10,000,000 subscribers2023
TikTok information
Page
Followers14.9 million
Likes513.2 million

Last updated: 13 August 2024

Early life

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Céline Dept was born on 8 December 1999,[a] and comes from Ostend, West Flanders.[3] Prior to her career as an influencer, she was a football player for Cercle Brugge K.S.V., among other teams.[4][5] According to an interview with Knack, she began playing in the second national for the second team of the women's division of the club in 2015, before being relegated to first provincial in the summer of 2018.[5]

Social media career

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Dept began uploading videos to TikTok in April 2019.[6][7] She stated that she was inspired to make videos by her partner[8] and YouTuber Michiel Callebaut, commenting, "At first, it was all for fun, but suddenly it went super fast and I was busy with it full time."[7] Her videos mainly consist of dances, lip syncs, football, and pranks. Her account received sponsorships from various brands, such as a free car from a Mercedes-Benz dealership.[7][9] In 2019, she also started the YouTube channel "Celine & Michiel [nl]" (CEMI) with Callebaut.[8]

By January 2020, she had over 2.7 million followers on TikTok, becoming the most-followed account in Belgium.[7] A month later, her first meet-and-greet took place near Mechelen at the science museum Technopolis, which gained media attention as nearby highway traffic became congested due to the presence of hundreds of fans.[10][11]

In January 2021, the animal rights organization GAIA [nl] criticized Dept and Callebaut after they released a video in which they purchased a Chow Chow, which the organization stated was acquired from a puppy mill. Dept subsequently apologized for this and said that she was previously unaware of what a puppy mill was.[12][13][14][15]

Video clip of Dept hugging several Dutch influencers during the "Youtube-interland," recorded by Edward van Cuilenborg [nl]

In 2022, she released a clothing line under the CEMI name.[16] In 26 October 2022, she debuted as the lead actress alongside Callebaut in their first feature-length film Rewind, which was released in Belgian cinemas and the Flemish streaming service Streamz [nl].[17][18][19] She started a personal YouTube channel in May 2023.[2][8] Three months later, she became the first Belgian to reach 10 million subscribers on the platform.[2][3][8] Her channel has featured famous footballers such as Gareth Bale, Neymar, Eden Hazard, Kylian Mbappé, and Erling Haaland.[2] Dept and Callebaut were together interviewed in media journalist Jonas Lips' 2023 book Tiktok Academy, where they provided their advice on creating trending content for social media.[20]

In March 2024, the pair led the football team "Creators FC", which consisted of Belgian influencers, in what was known as the first "Youtube-interland" against a team of Dutch influencers, with proceeds from the match funding a charity for children with cancer.[21][22][23] She later appeared in a livestream of American influencer IShowSpeed on 28 June 2024, in which she accompanied him while he toured Brussels.[24]

Awards

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Year Award Category Result Refs.
2020 The Gala of the Golden K's [nl] Cool girl of the year Nominated [25]
TikTok star of the year Nominated [25]
2020 The Jamies [nl] Best TikTok Nominated [26]
2021 2021 Kids' Choice Awards Favorite Star (Belgium) Nominated [27]

Filmography

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Year Title Role Refs.
2022 Rewind Herself [18]

Written works

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  • Dept, Céline; Callebaut, Michiel (8 December 2022). CEMI - CEMI Doeboek [CEMI - CEMI activity book] (in Dutch). Horizon. ISBN 9789464103526.
  • Dept, Céline; Callebaut, Michiel (4 April 2023). CEMI - CEMI Doeboek 2 [CEMI - CEMI activity book 2] (in Dutch). Horizon. ISBN 9789464103519.
  • Dept, Céline; Callebaut, Michiel (5 October 2023). CEMI - Céline vs. Michiel (in Dutch). Horizon. ISBN 9789464100020.
  • Dept, Céline; Callebaut, Michiel (18 April 2024). Friends forever – CEMI vriendschapsboekje [Friends forever – CEMI friendship booklet] (in Dutch). Horizon. ISBN 9789464104448.

Notes

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  1. ^ According to her social media posts on Instagram[‡ 1] and TikTok.[‡ 2]

References

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  1. ^ "About @CelineDept". YouTube.
  2. ^ a b c d "Céline Dept becomes first Belgian to reach 10 million YouTube subscribers". The Brussels Times. 26 September 2023. Archived from the original on 4 July 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  3. ^ a b Jonckheere, Camille (26 September 2023). "West-Vlaamse YouTuber Céline Dept haalt als eerste Belg 10 miljoen abonnees". Krant van West-Vlaanderen [nl]. Archived from the original on 29 September 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  4. ^ Van Lindt, Aernout (30 May 2023). "Celine Dept pakt uit met stevige stunt en staat voor drukke zomer". Vrouwenvoetbalkrant.be. Archived from the original on 6 August 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  5. ^ a b "'Mijn droom is: de perfecte omhaal uitvoeren'" ['My dream is: to perform the perfect turnover']. Knack (in Dutch). 11 December 2018. Archived from the original on 4 July 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  6. ^ Verrycken, Roel (2 November 2019). "Welkom in de wereld van TikTok" [Welcome to the world of TikTok]. De Tijd. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  7. ^ a b c d Joosen, Gunter; De Wolf, Ludwig; Bahri, Riadh (2 January 2020). "Celine Dept nieuwe populairste Belg op video-app TikTok: "Begonnen voor plezier, nu fulltime mee bezig"" [Celine Dept new most popular Belgian on video app TikTok: "Began for fun, now busy fulltime"]. VRT NWS. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  8. ^ a b c d "Céline Dept is eerste Belgische Youtuber met 10 miljoen abonnees en komt daarmee in mooi lijstje van internationale sterren". Gazet van Antwerpen. 25 September 2023. Archived from the original on 8 October 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  9. ^ Eeckhout, Frank (18 July 2019). "Van 0 naar 1 miljoen volgers op populaire app TikTok: jong koppel Celine (19) en Michiel (23) klaren de klus in vijf maand tijd" [From 0 to 1 million followers on popular app TikTok: young couple Celine (19) and Michiel (23) finish the job in five months]. Het Laatste Nieuws. Archived from the original on 28 April 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  10. ^ Vansina, Wannes (19 February 2020). "TikTok-influencers veroorzaken file naar Technopolis" [Tiktok influencers cause queue near Technopolis]. Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 30 April 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  11. ^ Van de Sande, Stijn (20 February 2020). "Honderden fans op eerste meet & greet van TikTok-supersterren Celine en Michiel in Technopolis" [Hundreds of fans at first meet & greet of TikTok superstars Céline and Michiel in Technopolis]. Gazet van Antwerpen. Archived from the original on 22 April 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  12. ^ Saerens, Zico (11 January 2021). "Na de kritiek op nieuwe pup van populaire YouTubers Céline en Michiel: hoe kan je broodfokkers herkennen?" [After the criticism on the new puppy of popular YouTubers Céline and Michiel: how can you recognize puppy mills?]. VRT NWS (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 29 April 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  13. ^ "YouTubers Céline en Michiel onder vuur nadat ze puppy kopen bij broodfokker: "We wisten niet dat we deze praktijken steunden"" [YouTubers Céline and Michiel under fire after they purchase puppy from puppy mill: "We didn't know that we were supporting these practices"]. Het Laatste Nieuws (in Dutch). 10 January 2021. Archived from the original on 29 June 2022. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  14. ^ Vanden Berghe, Bert (11 January 2021). "Vlogduo Céline en Michiel onder vuur na aankoop hond" [Vlog Duo Céline and Michiel under fire after purchase of dog]. Krant van West-Vlaanderen [nl]. Archived from the original on 1 March 2021. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  15. ^ De Poorter, Eva (10 January 2021). "YouTubers Celine en Michiel onder vuur na aankoop puppy uit broodfok" [YouTubers Celine and Michiel under fire after purchase of puppy from puppy mill]. Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 18 July 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  16. ^ Schillewaert, Nils (10 January 2022). "Zusjes D'Amelio (17 en 20) best betaalde TikTok-sterren ter wereld: samen bijna 25 miljoen euro in een jaar tijd" [D'Amelio sisters (17 and 20) highest paid TikTok stars of the world: together almost 25 million euros in the time of a year]. VRT NWS. Archived from the original on 6 February 2023. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  17. ^ "TikTok-duo CEMI maakt eigen film 'Rewind'". Het Laatste Nieuws. 15 June 2022. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  18. ^ a b Cinenews.be. "Rewind | film 2022 | Matthias Temmermans". Cinenews.be (in Flemish). Archived from the original on 1 August 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  19. ^ "Youtubers Cemi maken langspeelfilm en keren daarvoor terug naar 1996". De Standaard. 15 September 2022. Archived from the original on 29 January 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  20. ^ Lips, Jonas (6 June 2023). Tiktok Academy: Haal het beste uit Tiktok voor jouw brand [Tiktok [sic] Academy: Get the best from Tiktok for your brand] (in Dutch). Lannoo Meulenhoff - Belgium. ISBN 978-94-014-9372-7. Archived from the original on 1 August 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  21. ^ Jansen, Thomas (12 March 2024). "CEMI, Kenji Gooris en Kim Huybrechts voetballen voor strijd tegen kinderkanker in Lommel" [CEMI, Kenji Gooris, and Kim Huybrechts play football for struggle against child cancer in Lommel]. Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 1 August 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  22. ^ Jansen, Thomas (26 February 2024). "Eerste 'Youtube'-interland in Lommel: Celine en Michiel voetballen tegen Nederlandse sterren". Het Belang van Limburg. Archived from the original on 5 March 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  23. ^ Claes, Sven (22 March 2022). "2.800 fans trotseren de regen voor eerste 'Youtube'-interland in Lommel". Het Belang van Limburg. Archived from the original on 1 August 2024. Retrieved 1 August 2024.
  24. ^ "«Les Etats-Unis ont inventé les frites»: le streamer IShowSpeed met Bruxelles en émoi (vidéos)" ["The United States invented fries": streamer IShowSpeed excites Brussels (videos)]. Soir Mag [fr] (in French). 24 August 2024. Archived from the original on 30 June 2024. Retrieved 4 July 2024.
  25. ^ a b "Bijzondere en innovatieve editie van het Gala van de Gouden K's 2020". VRT (broadcaster). 28 January 2021. Archived from the original on 15 May 2024. Retrieved 5 July 2024.
  26. ^ "Dit zijn de winnaars van De Jamies!". Filmfestival Oostende. 22 January 2021. Archived from the original on 23 September 2023. Retrieved 5 April 2024.
  27. ^ "Dit zijn de Nederlandse en Belgische genomineerden voor de 2021 Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards". Frontview Magazine. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 5 July 2024.

Primary sources

In the text these references are preceded by a double dagger (‡):

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