Olivia Newton-John auctioned off her famous all-black Grease outfit last month. But now, she’s getting part of it back.
In a video posted to the auction house’s Facebook page on Tuesday, December 10, the star who played the lead character, Sandy, is seen receiving the leather jacket back from an anonymous buyer whose face remains blurred. Wrapped in a pink box, she at first is unaware of what’s going on.
“The odds of beating a recurring cancer using the newest emerging therapies is 1,000 fold greater than someone appearing out of the blue, buying your most famous and cherished icon, and returning it to you, which is what I’m going to do right now,” he tells her in the clip. Through tears, she replies, “Are you serious?”
He continues, “This jacket belongs to you and the collective soul of those who love you, those for whom you are the soundtrack of their lives. It should not sit in a billionaire’s closet for country club bragging rights. For this reason, I humbly and respectfully return it to its rightful owner, which is you.”
According to Julien’s Auctions, the buyer is a doctor and medical technology entrepreneur, which explains the offer he makes to her should she ever need advice or support during her recovery. “You are it,” she says. “I’m telling you now.”
He then asks if she would put it on display in her cancer research center and she was more than happy to oblige. “Yes,” she says. “It was always my dream to do that, so yes!” Newton-John says.
As for the other half of the ensemble, Spanx founder Sara Blakely bought the pants for almost half a million.
“I’ve been the biggest fan of Olivia since I was a little girl, since Grease came out,” Blakely told Women’s Wear Daily back in November. “My friend called me two days before the auction. I didn’t know it was happening and she said, ‘Sara, they’re putting the pants up, the outfit for charity,’ and I thought, ‘Oh my god, I’ve got to try to get these.’”
