Olivia Newton-John is a lot of things, but “complainer” isn’t one of them. That’s why Don’t Stop Believin’ was the perfect name for her latest memoir, which chronicles her incredible career as well as her struggles. At 70, the icon is battling stage IV breast cancer for the third time, but with the support of her friends and family – especially husband John Easterling – she’s ready to fight and isn’t letting anything get her down.
“I feel lucky that I’m experiencing it for a third time, you know? You have to find the silver lining; there’s good in every bad situation,” the singer says in the latest issue of Us Weekly. “I’m very positive. I’m human, I have my moments of fear and anxiety like everybody does, but generally I choose to be positive because you create your world by what you think. And if you think dark thoughts, you’re going to create a dark world. If you think positive thoughts, you’ll create a positive world around yourself and attract positive people to you. I’m very lucky in all those areas; I have the best husband in the world and the best daughter. I’m lucky.”
The Grease star battled breast cancer in 1992 and underwent a partial mastectomy and reconstruction surgery. She was diagnosed again in 2013 and a third time in 2018.
Newton-John’s husband has been extremely helpful during her battle – “he’s brilliant,” she tells Us – and has helped her with treatment; they are both advocates for using cannabis to heal.
“My husband grows it for me – in California you can do that. He’s made me incredible tinctures that have helped me with pain, sleep and anxiety, and there are thousands of studies now on the healing properties of cannabis and how they’re discovering it,” the “Physical” singer says. “It will, eventually, be accepted as healing many diseases.”
In 2018, Newton-John was admitted to her own facility, the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Center in Australia, after her cancer returned; she stayed there for three weeks, something she chronicles in her book.
Now, she’s decided to help raise even more money for the hospital by donating some of her most valuables: Her Grease wardrobe, including her leather jacket and leggings, since they’ve just been in her closet for the past 40 years.
“For a number of years, actually, I took the jacket on the road and I was wearing it until my manager said, ‘Is this the original jacket?’ I said, ‘It is.’ He couldn’t believe I was taking it on the road,” the four-time Grammy winner says. “I had no idea Grease was going to keep going on and on and on like it has. So I was using the jacket! But I put it away and got a look-alike after that.”
For more from Newton-John, pick up Us Weekly, on stands now. Don’t Stop Believin’ is available in stores and on Amazon.
With reporting by Travis Cronin.
