Olivia Newton-John says ‘every day is a gift’ after third cancer diagnosis

'I’m so lucky that I’ve been through this three times and I’m still here'

Olivia Petter
Monday 05 August 2019 09:57 BST
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Olivia Newton-John says every day is a 'gift' following cancer diagnosis

Olivia Newton-John has spoken out about her struggles with stage four breast cancer following her third diagnosis of the illness in 2017.

The Grease star explained that she is maintaining a positive mindset despite her health issues and doesn’t consider them a “a battle or a war”.

“I’m so lucky that I’ve been through this three times and I’m still here,” she told 60 Minutes Australia reporter Liz Hayes in Sunday night’s episode of the current affairs and popular culture programme.

“I’m living with it,” Newton-John continued. “Every day is a gift, particularly now.”

The 70-year-old singer was first treated for breast cancer in 1992 after she found a lump on her breast. She underwent six months of treatment, including a partial mastectomy and chemotherapy.

But the illness returned in 2013, and Newton-John underwent a second round of treatment, which cleared up the cancer until 2017, when she was told the cancer had reappeared for a third time. At this point, the breast cancer was stage four and had spread to her bones.

However, Newton-John remains optimistic she will beat the condition.

“I see it as something in my body that I’m getting rid of,” she said in her interview over the weekend. “I don’t talk about a battle or a war.I let it go and tell it to leave and talk to my body and tell it to heal itself.”

Newton-John’s daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, was also interviewed in 60 Minutes and revealed she doesn’t speak to her mother about her ill health.

“We don’t talk about it. No, we don’t need to talk about it,” she said.

“If she’s having a day where she needs to talk about it, I’m there to listen. I’ll never bring it up unless she wants to.”

Newton-John has previously spoken out about using cannabis to help her cope with pain she experiences as a result of her cancer.

Speaking to People magazine in March, the English-born, Australian-raised star said that although she had used the drug recreationally a few times when she was younger, she was nervous about taking it at first.

“It has helped incredibly with pain maintenance and sleep,” Newton-John said.

“It’s an amazing plant, a maligned plant, but it’s helping so many people.”

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