Olivia Newton-John has been diagnosed with breast cancer for the second time, the singer’s team revealed in a Tuesday, May 30, statement on her official Facebook page.
“Olivia Newton-John is reluctantly postponing her June U.S. and Canadian concert tour dates. The back pain that initially caused her to postpone the first half of her concert tour, has turned out to be breast cancer that has metastasized to the sacrum,” the statement reads. “In addition to natural wellness therapies, Olivia will complete a short course of photon radiation therapy and is confident she will be back later in the year, better than ever, to celebrate her shows.”
Despite her diagnosis, Newton-John, 68 — who previously beat breast cancer more than 25 years ago — seems optimistic about her future. “I decided on my direction of therapies after consultation with my doctors and natural therapists and the medical team at my Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Centre in Melbourne, Australia,” the Australian-born star says, per her Facebook page.
Because of her health, Newton-John is postponing her previously scheduled June concert dates. Rescheduled concert dates will be posted at OliviaNewton-John.com in the next several weeks.
The Grease alum was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. At the time, she treated her illness with chemotherapy and underwent a partial mastectomy followed by reconstruction. In a 2010 interview with EmpowHer, Newton-John said that maintaining a positive attitude throughout her first bout of cancer was crucial.
“This is one of the reasons I like to talk about it is because here I am 18 years later and I am talking about it and I was fearful of talking about it the first five years because a lot of women are until we get to that five-year marker, but all I can really say is, here I am and I am here so you can be. You know, it’s like having that positive thought and believing that you can be,” she explained to the outlet. “Of course, not everybody is as fortunate and I realize that and I am very grateful that I am, but that positive attitude does really help in how you go through the journey.”
