One year on from the passing of Olivia Newton-John, her daughter Chloe opened up to Loose Women about losing her mum to breast cancer.
“The fans were really a life raft for me, having millions of people pour out energy and love towards me and my family, and celebrating my mum, really lifted me up in dark times. I want to thank everyone… for your support. It really helped me and I know my mum feels it.”
Speaking to Coleen Nolan and Gloria Hunniford on the day that would have been her mother’s 75th birthday, Chloe explained why she still feels that her mum is with her: “About a week after she passed, my phone went ‘click’ and I’d had a discussion… she said ‘If I can come through to you, show myself to you, I will’. I had a feeling just to look at this photo, I knew there was something special about it.
“I zoomed in, it was a live photo, and I pressed the live button and there was a bright blue orb flying around my dog Jelly’s head and my dog looks and sees it. My mum wears this aqua blue stone around her neck, which I forgot to put on this morning. I wanted to wear it to show you guys, it was her favourite necklace. She never took it off, John [Travolta] gave it to her and it was that colour so I feel it was her way of showing me ‘It’s Momma’.”
“Then about two days later, I get a picture sent from my father, that there’s an aqua blue orb flying by my dad’s wife, who is also a cancer survivor and thriver, who my mum was very close with. That blue orb is flying right up her leg and you can even see the wispy trail marks behind it. She comes to me in many different ways, I have an owl that comes and sits outside my room for an hour sometimes and just sits with me. The owl is the symbol of our family so that’s another way that mum comes through.”
Following in her mother’s footsteps, Chloe also explained: “You know, I have the same story as my mum, at 15… well previous to that I said ‘Mum, if I can get a record deal, can I leave school?’ and she said ‘Yes ok, if you can do it on your own, you can leave school’. So I was very driven and I went to live out in Australia by myself and I worked really hard and I got signed. I left school in tenth grade, just like my mum.”
Chloe went on to reveal that she gave up her career for a while to care for her mum towards the end of her life: “We were together every minute of every day and I would sleep with her at night. I have many precious memories and I’ve never seen anybody that has as much strength as my mum or could endure what she did, with such grace, and humour and dignity. I will treasure that time for the rest of my life.”
Discussing Olivia’s legacy and if Chloe felt there is a pressure to continue being in the public eye, she said: “It’s not about me, it’s about every family member who has a loved one going through cancer. Every being who is a cancer thriver, who is currently going through the journey. If I make it not about me, it’s a lot easier to deal with and if I think about my mum’s journey, it makes it a lot easier to handle the nerves and being in front of people.”
Chloe continues to celebrate her mother’s life, telling Coleen and Gloria about a memory walk she will host next weekend in Melbourne: “Bring your dogs please, that was my mum’s favourite part by far!”
On what’s next for her, Chloe revealed she will be heading back to the studio to finish an album that she started recording before Dame Olivia passed away: “I began my album after I did ‘Dancing with the Stars’ and then I got five songs finished but I stopped half way because my mother needed me, the most important person in the world, so I have five songs done and I’ll be hopping back in to get a few more done so I have a lot of art to release in January or February.”
Loose Women, weekdays at 12.30pm on ITV1, ITVX, STV and STV Player.
