Turps to visit old love Olivia

Ian Turpie and Olivia Newton-John… romantic rematch of the year? Not quite, but Ian, popular host of Seven’s game show The New Price Is Right, is in America and hopes to have dinner with superstar Olivia if time allows. And, what’s more, Ian has permission from his wife, Jan.

Ian, who flew to the States on a mid-year break, dated Olivia for five years back in the Sixties. At the time he was an up-and-coming personality on Seven’s daytime program Time For Terry, and Olivia was one of the show’s most popular young performers. They also were appearing regularly then on Channel 10’s pop show The Go Show. After they split, Olivia went to England and Ian stayed in Australia at first working in live variety shows like Graham Kennedy’s In Melbourne Tonight before drifting out of TV to concentrate on the club scene in Sydney.

As Olivia’s career blossomed, Ian was hounded by reporters who would regularly refer to him as “Olivia’s former boyfriend”. On several occasions when she has revisited Australia, Olivia has called in on Ian and Jan. “The three of us go out to dinner together, me with two gorgeous looking girls,” Ian said before he left on his trip. And Jan will be there if there is a reunion. “We’ll probably see her (Olivia). I spoke to John Farrar (Olivia’s producer) last week and he’s currently working on a new album with her. I don’t know how involved they’ll be with all that when we get there.”