Olivia Newton-John’s heartbreaking 2020 Project interview resurfaces

In one of her last Aussie television interviews before her death, Olivia Newton-John spoke of her ongoing cancer battle with a touching sentiment.

Sitting down on The Project panel two years ago, Olivia Newton-John told viewers she believed she had beaten stage four cancer, declaring she felt “fantastic!” as she sat by daughter Chloe Lattanzi.

Fast-forward to February this year, in what is understood to have been her last interview, the legendary performer told a journalist she hoped her legacy would be “One word: Positivity!”

Today, that is exactly how she has been remembered by fans, friends and family after the devastating news of her death broke this morning.

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Olivia Newton-John was hopeful she had beaten cancer when she appeared on The Project in 2020.

Clips of the beloved Australian actress and singer have resurfaced on the day of her death at 73, including the one from 2020 in which she discussed her health with The Project’s Lisa Wilkinson.

“I have to ask on behalf of everyone in Australia who loves and adores you and has done for decades, how is your health?” Lisa asked during a chat about 36-year-old Chloe’s stint on Dancing With The Stars.

Olivia Newton-John joined us on The Project in 2020 alongside her daughter Chloe Rose Lattanzi.
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She told us all about the big thing she believed in that kept her going throughout her cancer battle.
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Everyone should remember this. pic.twitter.com/0zndiMerbr

— The Project (@theprojecttv) August 8, 2022

Olivia beamed as she held her hands up in the air and said “Fantastic!” to cheers from the studio audience.

“I’m doing really well, thank you, and thank you for all your love and support, I really appreciate it.”

She added on the state of her health at the time: “I believe your belief system is part of the healing. All I can know is that my last MRI, things are shrinking, going away or staying the same, and I’m living with it and feeling great.”

Olivia battled cancer for 30 years after her first diagnosis in 1992.

In 2013, she was again diagnosed with cancer, this time in her shoulder after a car accident, but chose to keep it a secret.

In May 2017, she announced her breast cancer had returned and metastasised to her sacrum, and in 2018, it was revealed she was again battling the disease.

Speaking last October, her enthusiasm in the face of her ongoing health battle had dimmed since her Project appearance, as she told Extra’s Renee Bargh she was “stable”.

Olivia Newton-John on Extra October 2021. Picture: YouTube.

“I don’t know that I’m ‘cancer free’, but I’m stable, and I’m feeling well. So I feel very fortunate,” the Grease star said.

In what would have been one of her last interviews in February this year, Olivia’s hope and positivity again shone through while chatting to a journalist from NHK World Japan. She told him her favourite affirmation was: “This too will pass.”

Olivia Newton-John in what is believed to be one of her last interviews. Picture: YouTube.

Asked about the legacy she hoped to leave, the founder of the Olivia Newton-John Foundation and Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre said: “One word: Positivity!”

“I like to think that I’ve made a difference in helping people heal from cancer,” she added, concluding that she was “grateful for every day” and “enjoying life” at her home in California in the final months before her death.

Originally published as Olivia Newton-John’s heartbreaking 2020 Project interview resurfaces