Lowdown on Livvy

Nothing's off-limits in this ray martin special interview

WHEN Ray Martin meets Olivia Newton John for a cosy studio chat this week, it will be a match made in ratings heaven.

After all, he is the most popular man on Australian television and she is one of our best-loved performers.

But the special, Ray Martin Presents: Olivia Newton John, which airs on Channel 9 at 8.30pm on Thursday, is by no means a sycophantic yak-fest between two superstars. Martin asks the country's favourite singer questions which perhaps even her doctor would baulk at.

She's a very open person, Martin said. She's the type of person who's not afraid to discuss anything, no matter how personal. Before we did the interview, she just said, "There is nothing that's off limits I'll answer any question you ask, which is very generous.

So she talked about everything from her marriage (to American actor Matt Lattanzi) to her miscarriages to her daughter to the collapse of her business.

Newton-John, 45, appears to have drawn strength from the well-documented disasters which have befallen her, including a battle with breast cancer and the 1991 collapse of the Koala Blue chain of stores which folded leaving $9 million in debts.

I was surprised by her self-deprecating attitude to the many things which have gone wrong in her life, Martin said.

She tells these stories about the various problems which have plagued her like the miscarriages and the breast cancer and then she wrinkles up her nose and laughs about them.

I think those problems have made her philosophical about her life and, as a result, she's very easy in her own skin and comfortable about who she is.

Martin, whose regular job is presenting A Current Affair, has made a number of celebrity specials on subjects ranging from Ben Elton to Paul Hogan, all of which proved to be audience mag-nets for Nine.

Newton-John was selected for a special because, according to Martin, she is a typical Australian girl-next-door-made-good who still retains a human side. I really think she is the quintessential Aussie girl, he said.

I can't think of anybody else who embodies the qualities of an Aussie girl more than Olivia.

Elle's a bit too perfect and a bit too European in her attitude and Kylie (Minogue) has become a bit too brash and brassy.

Olivia, on the other hand, is natural and down-to-earth. She's bright, she's pretty, she's fresh, she's open, she's confident and she's friendly.

To me, she sums up what an Aussie girl should be.

The interview is spiced up with musical numbers, running the width of Newton-John's career. She sings a few numbers from her new album, Gaia, and sentimental favourite, I Honestly Love You.

By Rachel Browne

Photo captions: Different faces of a popular girl - Olivia Newton John: 1. As she looked in 1973.
2. Mid 80s glamour.
3. Fit for action.
4. With husband Matt Lattanzi.
5. True-blue girl from down under.