Gaia goddess
OMG, it’s ONJ on the phone apologising because she’s 15 minutes late. Nice to see Hollywood hasn’t changed this Melbourne girl’s manners. Despite her celeb status, singer and actress Oliva Newton-John remains an approachable superstar who makes time for others, often offering a meet-and-greet opportunity at her concerts.
At school, I remember boys calling her Olivia Neutron Bomb as her beauty blew them away. We loved her as the Aussie sweetheart Sandy in Grease, the roller-skating minx in Xanadu and the sweaty seductress in Let’s Get Physical.
But Newton-John is so much more than a pretty face and a mesmerising voice. Beneath her beguiling smile and gentle demeanour shines a strong spirit that has conquered cancer once, steered a steady career and supported compassionate causes long before they were cool.
Newton-John has had an actionpacked 68 years and shows no signs of slowing down. Recording, touring, acting and championing charities fully occupy her. “I enjoy it and it allows me to do other things, such as talking about the ONJ Cancer and Wellness Centre,” she says of her most recent project.
From cancer to wellness
Since thriving through breast cancer in 1992, Newton-John wanted to share the therapies and hope
