OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN
The pop star talks to Closer about her health and how music is helping her heal.
Looking much younger than her years, Olivia NewtonJohn took the stage at the Northfield, Ohio, Hard Rock Rocksino in early November and launched into a set of her greatest songs — from 1970s chestnuts like “I Honestly Love You” and “You’re the One That I Want” to later hits like “Xanadu” and “Physical.” “When I get to sing the songs I love, it’s like a gift,” a joyful Olivia, 69, tells Closer in an exclusive interview. “Being on the road with my band has been healing for me.”
Only six months ago, it seemed doubtful that Olivia would return to the stage anytime soon. After she experienced persistent lower back pain, her doctors discovered that the cancer Olivia thought she’d successfully beaten 25 years earlier had returned. “I found out I had a tumor in my sacrum,” confides the singer, who canceled summer tour dates in the United States and Canada to undergo treatment with radiation and natural remedies. “Of course it was scary,” she admits. “But the words that came to my mind were ‘This too shall pass!’ I just had to believe that I was going to be OK.”
That upbeat attitude, along with the love of her husband of nine years, John Easterling, 65, and her daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, 31, helped Olivia prepare to fight for her life. “I talked to my body. I affirmed that I was healthy and strong,” remembers the star, who believes that a positive point of view can be crucial to surviving a health crisis. “Depression suppresses your immune system,” she explains. “I tried to get my mind off my troubles by focusing on the things that I am passionate about.”
HEALING POWER
For this lifelong performer, music acted as a balm. “Singing has always been a relief for my emotions. It got me through the loss of my sister [Rona, who battled brain cancer] four years ago,” she confides. “Out of those feelings came my new album Liv On. [The title song] ‘Live On’ was written for people dealing with grief, but now I feel that song is about what I have been going through. I feel all of this new strength when I sing it.”
Back on tour after her successful treatment in California, with the help of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre in Australia, Olivia has discovered another source of strength from her fans. “The audiences have been so loving and supportive,” she says. “It has been very moving.”
After her run of engagements ends, Olivia will be heading back home to her family and the menagerie of dogs, cats, chickens and miniature horses she keeps on her farm in California. “My husband and I love the country life,” says Olivia, who is particularly looking forward to attending dinner parties with loved ones. “I want to see my friends and really catch up with people. Life goes so quickly, but I want to be here and keep doing what I do.” — Louise A. Barile,
with reporting by Ilyssa Panitz
THE POP ICON OPENS UP ABOUT HOW SHE STAYS POSITIVE WHILE FIGHTING ILLNESS