1) She was born with her mother's surname
1. Olivia Newton-John was born on September 26, 1948, in Cambridge, England.
2. Her full name at birth was Olivia Theresa Edison Newton-John.
3. She is the only child of Irene (née Born) and Brinley Bryn Newton-John.
4. Her father was an academic at the University of Cambridge, and her mother was a former singer with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
2) Her younger sister once tried to have her committed
You probably know Olivia Newton-John as the star of Grease or for her chart-topping hits like Physical. But there's a lot you might not know about the Australian singer and actress. For example, did you know that...
1. Her full name is actually Olivia Jane Newton-John.
2. She was born in England, not Australia.
3. She is a dual citizen of the UK and Australia.
3) During the 70s she had a fear of flying
Did you know that the lovely Olivia Newton-John was once afraid of flying? It's true! In fact, she was so scared of flying that she would often take a boat or train instead of getting on a plane. Thankfully, she eventually overcame her fear and is now able to travel wherever she wants.
4) She wrote both Physical and Grease
Olivia Newton-John actually wrote the song Physical as a response to all of the sexual innuendos in her previous hits. The song Grease was originally written as a ballad, but was changed to an up-tempo number at the insistence of John Travolta.
Olivia's husband, John Easterling, is actually a rainforest activist. Sadly, Olivia Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 and has been battling the disease ever since.
5) She won an Oscar even though she didn't sing in Xanadu
Many people know that Olivia Newton-John starred in the 1980 musical film Xanadu. What many don't know is that she wasn't originally supposed to be in the film at all! The producers had someone else in mind,
but when she backed out at the last minute they asked Olivia if she wanted to do it. And the rest is history! Not only did she star in the film, but she also recorded several songs for the soundtrack, including the iconic title track.
6) She loves vegan food
Though she was born in England, Olivia Newton-John is of Scottish and Welsh descent. Her family moved to Australia when she was five, and she grew up in Melbourne. She began her music career as a member of the pop group Toomorrow in 1970,
and released her first solo album, If Not For You, in 1971. The following year, she starred in the musical film Grease as Sandy Olsson opposite John Travolta.
7) Her parents' divorce affected her deeply
Olivia was just five years old when her parents, Brinley and Irene, divorced. The split had a profound effect on the young girl, who would later say that she felt 'abandoned' by her father. As a result of the divorce,
Olivia and her mother moved around a lot, living in various parts of England and Australia. This nomadic lifestyle made it difficult for Olivia to form lasting friendships.
8) She was also diagnosed with breast cancer at stage 1
In 1992, shortly after the release of her album Back to Basics, Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer. She kept her diagnosis a secret from the public for several months while she underwent treatment. Thankfully, she was declared cancer-free in 1995.
Olivia Newton-John has been married twice (three sentences): Her first marriage was to actor Matt Lattanzi in 1984. The couple had one child together, daughter Chloe Rose Lattanzi, before divorcing in 1995.
9) Her son became blind due to a drug overdose
Olivia Newton-John's son, Chloe Lattanzi, was born in 1986. When he was just a teenager, he became blind in one eye due to a drug overdose. He has since recovered and is now an actor and model. Chloe has said that his mother's cancer diagnosis was a wake-up call for him and that he is now sober.
10) She beat breast cancer again in 2012
In 1992, Olivia was diagnosed with breast cancer and had to have a partial mastectomy. She went public with her diagnosis in order to raise awareness and help others who were going through the same thing. Thankfully, she beat the disease and has been cancer-free ever since. Unfortunately, the cancer returned in 2017...