CLOSER

OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
WITH THE LOVE OF FAMILY AND FRIENDS, THE STAR IS STAYING STRONG IN HER FIGHT AGAINST CANCER

Closer Weekly
9 Sep 2019
By LOUISE A. BARILE

Et Danke Kay pour les scans ! 


Despite a difficult year, this three-time cancer “thriver” is battling back with natural therapies and the love of her family and friends.

Looking trim and youthful in a tailored white suit, Olivia Newton-John proudly accepted Industry Dance’s Lifetime Achievement Award in Hollywood. “It was a challenging year,” the performer admitted at the Aug. 14 event, where she also received a $100,000 donation from Dancers Against Cancer for the Australian research hospital which bears her name. “I’m strong and I’m back and I’m feeling good and loving every minute.”

At 70, Olivia has lost none of the optimism and sparkle that made the world fall in love with her in the 1970s. Though she has weathered heartbreak, grief and three occurrences of cancer since 1992, Olivia insists she’s lucky. “What you think creates your reality,” says the star, who calls herself “a three-time cancer thriver” and reasons that “you can be a victim or you can be a winner and enjoy your life. It hasn’t been easy, of course, but it’s your choice on how you deal with it.”

After early success with international hit songs such as 1974’s “I Honestly Love You” and “Have You Never Been Mellow” the following year, the English-Australian entertainer joined Hollywood’s A-list when she starred as Sandy in the 1978 film version of Grease, opposite John Travolta. “I was very nervous about pulling it off,” admits Olivia, who worried that at age 29 she looked too old to play a high school student. “When you’re really young you’re just more fussy about that stuff,” she says. “When you’re older, you’re just grateful.”

TWIST OF FATE

Those feelings of gratitude have only intensified as Olivia’s matured. In her long career she has won four Grammys, sold more than 100 million records worldwide and watched as her 2019 biography Don’t Stop Believin’ became a New York Times bestseller. But she has also known her share of disappointment and private sorrow. “Her achievements are great but her heart is immeasurable,” says her close friend, actress Jane Seymour. “She is thriving. I am just so happy because it was really rough there.”

“I consider myself a cancer thriver – not a survivor.”
— Olivia

Olivia first found a lump in her breast in 1992. Diagnosed with cancer, she underwent a partial mastectomy and chemotherapy. The treatment seemed successful, but in 2013 her doctors discovered a malignant tumor on her right shoulder after she was involved in a minor auto accident.

More bad news followed. In 2017, Olivia turned to her physician after suffering a severe pain in her lower back. Diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer that had metastasized to her sacrum, she was forced to cancel her tour. Last fall, she also experienced a fractured pelvis due to her cancer-weakened bones. “Things slowed down when I fractured my sacrum and I’ve been healing since,” Olivia tells Closer.

As word of her new health crisis spread, friends like her former Grease co-star John Travolta reached out. “Olivia has always been an incredible human being and an inspiration to millions of people,” he said. “If we all put our intentions for her to get through this — I know her so well — she will feel it, and it will support her.”

It hasn’t been easy, but Olivia’s a fighter. “I had to learn to walk again,” reveals the performer, who grew stronger by complementing traditional oncology treatments with wellness practices like yoga, acupuncture and massage. “It helped my attitude when I was going through my journey,” she explains.

LET ME BE THERE

Olivia believes so strongly in alternative therapy’s ability to fight cancer that 15 years ago she lent her name to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre in Heidelberg, Australia. In addition to studying and treating the disease, the facility creates programs to boost patients’ minds and spirits, too. “I wanted to create a relaxing, peaceful place,” says Olivia, “where people could meet other cancer patients, share experiences and enjoy restful activities such as yoga or art and music therapy, or learn about healthy eating.”

The star’s illness has also deepened her own commitment to healthy living. “I eat well. I’m very conscientious,” she says. Olivia follows a largely plant-based diet occasionally supplemented with small portions of organic meat and fish. “I just didn’t seem to thrive [on a pure vegetarian diet],” she says, adding that moderation is key to healthy eating. “Food is one of the great pleasures in life. I love dark chocolate, and occasionally I enjoy an ice cream.”

“We don’t really know how long our life is. I intend to be here for a long time.”
— Olivia


HOPELESSLY DEVOTED

After Olivia’s 1995 divorce from her daughter Chloe’s father, Matt Lattanzi, and the 2005 disappearance at sea of her boyfriend, Patrick McDermott, Olivia feared that she’d never know love again. But her current husband, John Easterling, has stayed steadfast at her side through all of her recent health challenges. “I married the perfect person,” she gushes. “He’s a caring human being who’s very intelligent and calming.”

Before coming together, the pair knew each other for years as friends. “I wasn’t expecting to fall in love with him and then bam!” Olivia recalls. “I always tell my friends you’re never too old to find love. I found the love of my life at 59 going on 60!”

Olivia credits John, whom she married in 2008, with introducing her to immune system boosters and natural remedies. “He spent his life in the rainforest. He designs supplements.

I take a lot of herbal things that he makes,” says Olivia, who also utilizes cannabis to manage her disease. “It helped me incredibly with pain and sleep,” she says.

While she’s aware that stage 4 cancer kills, she doesn’t want her doctors to estimate how long she has left to live. “If somebody tells you that you have six months to live, very possibly you will because you believe that,” she reasons. “So for me, psychologically, it’s better not to have any idea of what they expect.”

At home with John in California, Olivia surrounds herself with her beloved pets — she has a German shepherd, a cat and two miniature horses. “I love my animals and my family,” says Olivia, whose daughter, Chloe, 33, is pregnant with the performer’s first grandchild. “I’m happiest with the simple things — looking at the stars at night or bird songs in the morning,” Olivia says. “I think I’m at my happiest right now. Life is not to be rushed through. It’s to be savored.”

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