A wrinkle, I think, I've earned that
Translation from Dutch
Fourteen years ago, singer Olivia Newton-John was told she had breast cancer. Since then, the singer from the film Grease has overcome all the setbacks: “There was a period when I thought my life was over. I had cancer and was deathly ill. But I am still here and I want to use my experience to impress upon other women that they need to take good care of themselves.”
I meet Olivia at the beautiful Four Seasons Hotel in Beverly Hills. She looks good. Stylishly dressed in summery white. Olivia is still the star she was in the eighties. That instantly recognizable radiant smile is still visible on her face. And even though she is now almost 58, you wouldn’t guess she is over forty. She is firmly grounded in life and has no need for bling-bling or other frills.
Olivia: “When you have looked death in the eye like I have, you look at appearances very differently. On top of that, I am lucky that the chemo left me with a fuller face, so there are fewer wrinkles visible. Of course, I am happy that I still look good. I am a singer, so appearance is important. But just like with every birthday, when I see a new wrinkle, I think: I earned that.”
Was it difficult to step back into the public eye after your illness?</strong>
Olivia: “No, not at all. I was very honest about my illness. I had to be, because when I was told fourteen years ago that I had breast cancer, I was very actively working on my career. I had just recorded a CD, Back to Basics, with which I wanted to make a comeback after a few years of rest. The album had cost a lot of money to record and I had worked with famous producers like David Foster. I was completely happy. And then that news came. I could forget about the promotional tour. I had to tell the record company immediately that I was sick. Actually, my situation was comparable to Kylie Minogue, who is now battling the disease. It was terrible.”
"When my father died of cancer, I thought: why would I survive?"
Was your career also the first thing you thought of when you heard the news?</strong>
Olivia: “No, not at all actually. I was thinking of my daughter, who was just six years old at the time. I had to fight for her. I knew I had to survive this, at all costs. My child needed me. At first, I was knocked down, but after a few weeks, a fighter emerged inside me. I had surgery. They removed part of my breast. They did a very beautiful job. I was lucky that not everything really had to be removed, but that made me anxious too. Time and time again, I wondered if they had actually removed everything.
After the surgery came the medication and chemotherapy. That was terrible. My hair thinned, my weight dropped, I looked awful and felt even more miserable. I actually don’t remember how I got through it. I think I actually stopped thinking. I was a zombie. I kept going because I didn’t want to die.
The difficult part was that my father passed away from cancer during that period. That was an extra blow. Why would I survive it? In addition, the fashion chain had started in the eighties was also suffering.” , but increasingly large losses began and I had to give up the company. I felt like I was having to make sacrifices on all sides. I was fighting incredibly hard, but losing on all sides.”
How did your daughter Chloe cope with your illness? </strong>
Olivia: “That was, of course, my biggest concern. I had to fight for her. And for my mother, my family. Later, I also experienced the support of the fans. I felt that I wasn’t alone, and that did me good. But the valley I went through was very deep. The funny thing is that during such an illness, there are also moments when you feel like you are being helped from above.
For instance, one day after a tough course of treatment, I ran into a woman in the hospital. She recognized me and it turned out she had read about my illness in the newspaper. She was in the hospital because her daughter was about to give birth to her first grandchild. She came up to me and said: “Look at me, I had breast cancer twenty years ago too. If I can survive it, you can too.” That was a turning point for me. I realized that I had to fight for my daughter. I wanted to be there too when she had her first child.
After your illness, your relationship broke down. Did you feel like you were dealing with blow after blow? </strong>
Olivia: “No, I don’t see it that way. The fact that I am divorced from Matt Lattanzi, Chloë’s father, is of a completely different order than the illness. But those two events are connected. I had become a different person after my illness. I chose myself. I was no longer the naive little woman who followed her husband around. And that didn’t work in our relationship. I chose myself and my child. Matt and I are still friends. Matt is a great father to Chloë. Of course, we have been separated for more than ten years now, and I no longer see him as my ex. He has become a friend, and that is very special.”
Nowadays you are back on stage and you are even working on a new CD now. Wasn’t it a difficult step to start singing again?
Olivia: “It certainly was. I didn’t do anything at all for a few years. I was physically and mentally too weak. I couldn’t bear the thought of standing on stage again. But I did write songs at home. That is how Gaia came about, an album full of defiant songs. I wanted to sing about my illness, the divorce, and the misery. I had to write it all off my chest.”
“Not with the goal of just writing sad songs, but precisely to let the world know that I was still there.”
A year ago, the news broke that your partner Patrick McDermott had disappeared without a trace. Don’t you think then: how much more grief can I handle?
Olivia: “No, I didn’t think that. I have a very good life. If you list all the misery in my life now, it sounds very heavy. At times it was, but there were also many happy moments. Far more positive experiences than negative ones. Also in my relationship with Patrick. I was very happy with him for nine years. I cherish those memories now.
I am someone who prefers to look at the positive things in life. I prefer saying yes to life rather than no. Sometimes saying yes is difficult, because you might be facing an uncertain time. After all, you don’t know the consequences. But you have to take a gamble, otherwise you aren’t living. I take on challenges; that suits me.
For me and our family, it is of course terrible that Patrick has disappeared. He was nowhere to be found for a year after he went fishing with a few friends. He wasn’t lying in his cabin in the morning. I want to move on. I am someone who prefers to look at the positive things in life. I can’t say much about it. Especially since I recently received reports via the police that he was reportedly sighted in Canada. They aren’t sure if it is him, but it would of course be fantastic if he turned out to be alive.
People sometimes ask me if I haven’t started to doubt Patrick’s motives now that he has disappeared. But that is not the case. If he is still alive, I am certain there is a logical explanation for the fact that he was missing for so long. Perhaps he fell overboard and lost his memory in the process.”
After your illness, this is the second time you have to live with great uncertainty. How do you cope with that?
Olivia: “I have become a strong woman. I focus on the certainties in my life. I look at the positive side. That is why I recently started a clinic in the city of Austin, Australia, for cancer research and treatment. The clinic is affiliated with the hospital next door. The Australian government provided ten million for the realization of this project. I invested fifty million dollars in it myself. I want to give people hope. That is my mission in life. I want to help work on a solution for all the problems associated with having to deal with cancer. And in addition, I am also working hard to raise money for the treatment of the disease itself. Recently, I started a campaign to draw attention to my ‘Livkit’, a self-examination kit for breast cancer in women. After all, the sooner you find out that there is a strange lump in your breast, the sooner you can be helped. This limits the damage. However, many women do not know how they can examine themselves. There are very targeted methods for that. Very simple and straightforward, but oh so important!
Where do you get the energy to do all this?
Olivia: “I do a lot. I am working on setting up a health center in Australia. A health club, where business people can unwind for a moment. Without TV, radio, or internet, but with the sea, birds, yoga, swimming pools, and a wonderful restaurant. Additionally, I am touring America this year with my new show. And I am working on a CD, Healing
. On this album, alongside spiritual songs, I sing a few dance tracks. Because I still love to really swing every now and then. Music is a fantastic way to relax and heal.
When I received the offer to go on tour again, I knew that I would only want to and be able to do it if the songs were truly positive and powerful. I sing my big hits as well as strong new songs. No depressing material; I have no use for that. If you want to change life for the better, you have to have an eye for the beautiful things. “If there is one thing I have learned, it is that being happy and healing begins with positive thinking.”
It has now been 28 years since you scored a huge hit with Grease. The musical is appearing on Dutch stages this year. How do you look back on your Grease period?
Olivia: How nice that Grease is coming to the stage in the Netherlands! For me, the film was the highlight of my career. I also sing You’re the one that I want and Hopelessly devoted to you live during my current tour. People just like hearing it. I have reached an age now where I feel I should enjoy the success. I worked hard for it and I am proud of it. Isn’t it wonderful that people are still so positive about my work after all these years?
I still have good contact with John Travolta. We often discuss together whether we should handle the promotional activities arising around Grease. If he does it or wants to do it, then I do it too. And vice versa, he feels the same way. That mutual loyalty is very special. Besides the fame, I gained a lifelong friend from Grease.
More about Olivia
Olivia Newton John (58) became famous in the early 1970s through her weekly appearances on Cliff Richard’s TV show. In 1974, she finished fourth at the Eurovision Song Contest. In 1976, Olivia moved to America, where her star rose to unprecedented heights in 1978 with her lead role in the musical film Grease. In 1981, Olivia scored a huge hit with Physical. From her marriage to Matt Lattanzi, she has a daughter, Chloë (20). In 1992, Olivia discovered that she had breast cancer.
More information about Olivia’s Livikit, her breast cancer self-examination kit, can be found at www.livkit.com.