Meet my gorgeous man
Olivia Newton-John is in love. And to celebrate her 50th birthday, the Aussie icon introduced her new man to close family and friends at an intimate Malibu party.
Film studio electrician Patrick McDermott, 42, is the one Olivia wants to share many special years with in the future. “He’s a lovely man, very kind and thoughtful and we’re having a very nice time together,” says Olivia.
Despite being intensely private about her relationship with Patrick. Olivia says she is very happy, “We’ve managed to keep it quiet for two years,” she laughs.
“Because so little of my life is private, I intend to try to keep this as private as I can. My relationship with Patrick is great. It’s just a lovely thing.”
“We’ve been friends for two years now. We met while we were filming a commercial together and he was working as a gaffer.”
“It’s just nice to be able to share experiences with someone. We have a lovely time together we like to play tennis and bike and do all those sorts of things.”
Of course, the first to meet Patrick was Olivia’s beloved 12-year-old daughter, Chloe, the only child from her 11-year marriage to actor Matt Lattanzi. While Chloe has always been the focus of Olivia’s life, her marriage break-up in 1995 made her even more determined to give her daughter a stable and loving transition into her difficult teenage years.
Olivia’s mother Irena and brother Hugh could not make it to her party, but her sister Rona was there. And the queen of midday television, Kerri-Anne Kennerley, flow to LA especially to celebrate the milestone event.
“It was a fantastic party,” says Olivia. “We had it at the home of two of my oldest friends, Pat and John Farrar. I’ve known them since I was 15, and we had Koala Blue [the now-defunct stores) together.”
“I think it’s important to be with the people you are closest to occasion like that. I suppose because life is all about the people you know and the good times you’ve shared with them.”
“It was a wonderful reminder to lock around the room and see all of the people I love and care for, and to realise that I had a special memory with each one of them. And having them all there definitely helped me go through the transition of turning 50.”
Lanterns and fairy lights adorned the trees as more than 70 guests mingled on the lawn.
Many of Olivia’s dearest friends made special appearances, including Australian showbiz favourites Billy and Len Thorpe and composers Stevie Kipner and Bruce Rowland.
“Some of my girlfriends are wonderful cooks and they prepared all the food for the party,” says Olivia.
“We had so many delicious things to eat, but unfortunately I was too excited to eat anything. I was so busy talking and catching up with everyone,” she laughs. “And I’m very pleased my friends didn’t do any cruel things. I was expecting to got a walker or something like that, but they were very classy-it was a perfect night.”
Party goers danced until the early hours of the morning, when Olivia and a couple of her friends gathered around the piano. “I started singing Waltzing Matilda and I have a very funny friend who started singing America the Beautiful. So then we sang Click Go The Shears and it turned into a duel which went on far about an hour until we were all hoarse. In the and I think I got to bed around 4am.”
After recently being voted one of the 50 most beautiful people in the world by an American magazine, it’s little wonder Olivia feels comfortable turning 50.
“A couple of months before my birthday, I wondered if I’d feel any different, but I don’t, I think having your friends around you to help you move through the transition makes it easy. I feel great. I’ve had a wonderful time and wonderful memories -I feel really good.”
“What’s lovely is that you are your own person and, as one of my friends said, there are no apologies anymore - you are who you are.”
And turning 50 has been a time of reflection for Olivia, who has faced a number of personal tragedies in the past few years. In 1992, only two days after the death of her beloved father from cancer, Olivia found herself battling breast cancer.
Then, after successfully heating the disease, Olivia faced yet another blow the break-up of her marriage to Matt in 1996.
But despite a long run of bad luck, gorgeous Olivia remains very optimistic about life. “I suppose I’m rethinking what I want to do in the future- I haven’t come to any real conclusions, but I just want to simplify my life.”
“The breast cancer has definitely made me think more about what I want to be doing in 10 years’ time and where I want my life to head. I just want peace and happiness and I want to be able to spend more time with my friends. I also want to simplify things and that’s why I’m selling this house in Malibu and buying a smaller one.”
Looking at Olivia, it’s hard to believe that 20 years have passed since she starred opposite John Travolta in the hit movie Geese currently enjoying a major revival. She seems to have hardly aged at all from the fresh-faced golden girl Sandy who stole the hearts of teenagers across the world.
Olivia laughs as she credits her youthfulness to “good genes”.
“And I’m happy. I think being happy definitely keeps you looking young. And I’ve had a very blessed life - I eat well and take care of myself as much as I can,” says Olivia, who is set to visit Australia to perform alongside Anthony Warlow and John Farnham in The Main Event.
So, at last, it seems that Olivia is having a run of good luck.
“Life is wonderful,” she says. “It’s funny because for all the negative things that happen as you get older, there are also some wonderful things that happen, too, and I’m looking forward to all of them.”