Raise a glass, Newton-John clinic opens

Olivia Newton-John has opened the final stage of her Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne. Source: AAP

 

 

 The Daily Telegraph reports

Olivia Newton-John says her completed cancer centre in Melbourne should be a place where everybody knows your name, and has a drink waiting for you too - if that's what you want.

Newton-John recently lost her sister to cancer and says the experience taught her how important "loving care and support" is for someone who is dying.

On Friday, after a decade in the making, budget shortfalls and many fundraising campaigns, the star finally opened the final stage of the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in the city's north.

The opening brings online more palliative care beds, more treatment beds and additional research laboratories.

But the cancer survivor says the centre needs to also be about enabling patients to be surrounded by people who know them and care about them.

"(People who) give you all the food you want, that give you a vodka if you want one," she said.

Newton-John said the marriage of the words "cancer" and "wellness" are important too.

"When you see that you think, 'I can go from cancer to wellness,'" she said.

Her big dream is that, one day, she can erase "cancer" from the centre's logo.

"It will be a wellness centre only because we'll find a cure for cancer."

Olivia Newton-John talks about her battle with cancer that led her to change her life

Olivia Newton-John opens up about her cancer battle. Source: Supplied

 

Catherine Lambert, The Herald Sun, reports

We would forgive Olivia Newton-John if she was a bit unhinged. The woman we affectionately refer to as Australia’s sweetheart, or Our Liv, is one of the most famous and adored entertainers in the world.

But Newton-John’s life has been anything but smooth sailing, with tragedy and heartbreak hovering over her like a black cloud.

There has been bankruptcy (Koala Blue), divorce (Matt Lattanzi), her daughter Chloe’s eating disorder and cocaine addiction, the recent death of her sister from sudden brain cancer and her own much-publicised battle with breast cancer.

Not to mention the bizarre and still unexplained disappearance at sea of her former partner, Patrick McDermott, and, just two weeks, ago a man was found dead inside her house in Florida from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Pain, loss and misfortune have marked Newton-John’s life so deeply but if there are any scars they don’t show. Her blonde hair, blue eyes and generous smile may suggest fragility but the 64-year-old is incredibly resilient, even — perhaps especially — in the face of hardship.

She won’t be drawn on the tell-all interview Chloe gave to Woman’s Day last week about her battle with drugs and depression, which led to a stint in rehab.

Nor will she comment on the shooting at her Florida home.

What she will reflect on, however, is her solid belief in always looking forward.

“I really don’t believe on dwelling on anything negative," Newton-John says. “I remember the cancer enough to be aware to eat properly and exercise but the only thing I dwell on is being well. I like that: I dwell on being well."

She could be a poster girl for the self-help industry, returning time and again to her guiding philosophy to turn the negatives into positives, presenting as a woman with great faith, spirituality and compassion.

The fact that she has stuck with her commitment to help fund the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre at Heidelberg’s Austin Hospital for the past 10 years is proof of her dedication.

“Once I made the decision to do this, and the hospital committed to it, I stuck with it," she says.

“It was such a big dream and a huge commitment to take on because it’s very important to me. It’s so amazing that, finally, we’ve got there.

"It’s really exciting to have the wards open and we’ve expanded them to have all of these wellness programs in place."

With the final stage of the Wellness Centre opening at the Austin Hospital on September 20, Newton-John is still busy fundraising.

Next Sunday (September 15) she is leading a 4km Wellness Walk through the streets of Ivanhoe and will host an ONJ Grease-themed gala at the Regent Plaza on September 20.

The medical director of cancer services at Austin Health, Professor Johanthan Cebon, has worked closely with Newton-John over the past 10 years and described her commitment as tireless and boundless.

“What she has given is extraordinary because her contribution has been absolutely fundamental to the centre being built in the first place," Prof. Cebon says.

“And she didn’t just sign on to our terms. She made it clear she wanted something extra to what hospitals traditionally do. She insisted, as part of the package, that we incorporate the philosophy of wellness, which we haven’t seen in the Australian health care system before, so we’re really offering a new model. Wellness is about wellbeing in an emotional, physical, psychological and spiritual sense."

He believes that Newton-John sees the centre as the fulfilment of a dream that began when she survived her own experience with breast cancer more than 20 years ago.

Newton John agrees the centre completes the circle that began with a diagnosis in 1992.

“The cancer was a really important part of my life and I see it as a gift," she reflects.

“If I hadn’t gone through it, I wouldn’t have the compassion for people and I wouldn’t have understood what was important. It’s given me a real focus so that now I can say I’m grateful I had it, and particularly to have survived it."

People commonly recall a trauma every day of their lives, even when it has passed, and do everything they can to forget it, but Newton-John is different.

She rarely thinks about her own experience with cancer, choosing instead to focus on being well by doing something meditative every day, whether that be meditation, chanting with her Buddhist friends or praying with her Christian friends.

She has been vegetarian but has settled with favouring organic food as much as she can, a diet she calls “organicarian”.

On the suggestion of her husband, John Easterling, 61, who owns Amazon Herbs, she also takes vitamins and herbs daily.

The relationship began as a friendship and she believes they were always destined to be together.

“I think we were in different universes spinning in different orbits until we realised we had a lot in common," she says.

“We’re completely on the same path in our approach to life and health. He gave me herbs when I first met him and we’re still sharing that. He’s been a wonderful influence in my life and is a very healing person. I know I’m very fortunate."

Newton-John’s advocacy for animal rights, the environment and a healthy lifestyle has always been strong, beginning in childhood when her mother would take her on nature field trips to the beach, the mountains or even mushrooming.

She would always try to inform her, whether about fossils, flora or cloud formations but her affinity with nature became more prominent when she was discussing treatment options with her doctors when diagnosed with breast cancer.

Long committed to a healthy, drug-free lifestyle, she didn’t want to have chemotherapy and though she eventually agreed, she never had radiation. But she was also convinced that she had to do everything she could to rid her body of the cancer.

“I decided to make it a positive experience so I visualised the chemotherapy as a golden light, not a poison and to keep my spirit strong I did meditation, yoga, massage and acupuncture on the days when I was feeling really sick," she says.

“I switched to macrobiotic eating to clear up myself and these are things that I found to be very helpful. I also had a wonderful medical doctor who used herbs and homoeopathy.

“It’s important to be involved because it’s your body and you need to know what is happening. People say, ‘My doctor put me on to this,’ or ‘My doctor did that,’ so you don’t feel you’re partaking in your wellness.

“The point of that word is that it creates a nice positive energy that can lead you to being well. Cancer is not necessarily a death sentence."

Newton-John’s mental strength is expressed in such a mild, kind manner that it has a calming effect. She is not strident or bombastic in her views.

Her niece, Tottie Goldsmith, says she is exactly as she appears to be — feminine, savvy, smart, soft, strong — and agrees there has been a decent share of tragedy.

“She honestly has a very positive disposition and has an intense appreciation for everything in her life,"  Goldsmith says.

“She has an incredibly deep sense of compassion and feels things on a deep level but doesn’t wallow.

"Even though she misses my mum terribly and they were extremely close, she has turned that into a mission to do something for brain cancer and says that now she really knows what it’s like to lose someone to cancer."

Though Newton-John never talks about hardships or struggles, there is sadness and strain in her voice when talking about the death earlier this year of her beloved sister, Rona, 70, acknowledging that she will never be able to replace that relationship.

“I miss her terribly," she says. “She was a huge part of my life from the day I was born. She was like a mother to me. She used to travel with me and she was like my guardian. I laughed with her more than anyone in the world because she was such great fun and a great woman."

The experience, cancelling her engagements in Las Vegas to be by her sister’s side every day during palliative care, further strengthened her philosophical resolve.

Soon after Rona died, Newton-John created a brain tumour wellness program for the centre.

“The positive thing that came out of it was to receive some generous donations for the Wellness Centre and some more research into brain cancer," she says.

“What it also showed me is that being with people when they are passing is all there is. Just love and forgiveness. Stuff — possessions and money — doesn’t mean anything. It’s really only about the people you love and Rona had all her family around her. It was a beautiful thing.’’

Olivia gets physical for a good cause

Olivia Newton-John

 
The Age reports

Residents in Heidelberg and Ivanhoe will be doing double-takes at their front gates when Olivia Newton-John leads a 4-kilometre walk through local streets.

On Sunday September 15, the star of Grease will lead her first charity walk in Australia, to raise money for her Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre.

She is inviting the public to walk with her from the shops in Upper Heidelberg Road, Ivanhoe, to the cancer centre at the Austin Hospital near Heidelberg station, then back to Ivanhoe, where there will be a street party.

Ivanhoe traders are jubilant after failing for five years to lure Newton-John to appear at their annual street festival in May.

Instead Newton-John will lead the Wellness Walk, in which participants will pay up to $30 to enter and can also be sponsored.

"We are very, very, excited to be a partner in this," said Ivanhoe Traders Association spokesman Stavros Zikou.

"I think everyone's in shock about the fact Olivia is not only coming to our shopping centre, but how big this event is going to be."

Helena Mikletic, owner of Issa gift shop in Ivanhoe, who was 11 when Grease came out and used to mime to the music, said: "I'm just thrilled. I think it's wonderful. It's exciting for me personally. I'm a big fan of Olivia's and always have been."

"I've always wanted to meet her. I think she has a lot of fans in Ivanhoe, particularly because of the association with the new cancer centre."

Speaking to Fairfax Media from Los Angeles, Newton-John said the route was yet to be confirmed but it would start at 11am. At the finish, she may, or may not, perform. There would be celebrity appearances and a yoga class.

She said if anyone was surprised to see her walking down their street, "I'm hoping they'll join in the walk. It will be like the Pied Piper".

She said it was fine if people on the walk wanted to talk to her but it wasn't a fan fest. "People should take part because I think everybody in the world is touched by cancer in some way, a family member; a friend, or a friend of a friend."

It would be a lot less strenuous than her 228km, 21 day, trek along the Great Wall of China in 2008. That walk, which raised $2 million for the cancer centre, featured a portable toilet, extreme weather and excruciatingly steep paths.

"That Wall is unbelievable, it's kind of straight up, so after the first day you don't know how you're ever going to walk again.""

On September 20 Newton-John will open the second and final stage of the Cancer and Wellness Centre, including two new inpatient wards, a palliative care ward named after her late mother, Irene Newton-John, and two new research floors.

The building aspect is paid-for by the government but money from the Wellness Walk would go towards the $1 million needed each year to run the Centre's programs such as yoga, counselling, nutrition, art therapy and massage.

She said walks were great fundraisers because they were social, healthy and didn't require dressing up.

She hopes it will be an annual event. One day she wants to do a walk in Australia on the scale of the Great Wall walk. "It's my dream. We'll make happen one day."

To register for the Wellness Walk, go to www.oliviaappeal.com.

Grease at 35: We look at where the film's stars are now

    Olivia Newton-John, John Travolta and co-stars in the 1978 hit Grease. Picture: Supplied Source: Supplied

 

Vicky Roach, The Daily Telegraph, reports

Before Glee deconstructed Madonna, before Chicago wiped the floor with the Oscars, Grease was the word.

The popular 50s musical might not have bagged any major awards when it was released on June 16, 1978.

But right from the beginning, the surprisingly raunchy John Travolta/Olivia Newton-John star vehicle was a bona fide crowd-pleaser.

Made for just $6 million, Randal Kleiser's film has taken almost $400 million at the international box office.

In the US, it sang and danced its way to a staggering $188 million, making it the highest grossing musical of all time. (Les Miserables, by comparison, took $148 million. And Mamma Mia, $144 million.)

Unlike many of its contemporaries, Grease has exhibited extraordinary staying power - spawning its own special barbie doll collection, which is still available online, a singalong version and countless stage revivals over the last three decades.

Rehearsals start on a new Australian production, which will see former Idol contestant Rob Mills don the leather T-Birds jacket, in July.

The soundtrack featured two Billboard number-one hits - Grease, written by Barry Gibb and sung by Frankie Valli, who had no other connection to the film, and You're the One That I Want, sung by Travolta and Newton-John.

The Academy Award-nominated Hopelessly Devoted to You made it to No 3.

 

 Source: Supplied

Then and now: Stockard Channing who played Rizzo in the 1978 film and won an Emmy in 2002 for her role as Abbey Bartlett in The West Wing. Pictures: AP

Stockard Channing

When the three-time Emmy winner lost the role of Lois Lane to Margot Kidder in the 1978 version of Superman, starring Christopher Reeve, it turned out to be a blessing in disguise. Grease, the fifth most profitable movie of all time, was released the same year. Channing, who was 33 when she was cast as the sharp-tongued Betty Rizzo, might have been the world's oldest teenager, but that didn't stop her stealing every scene she appeared in. More than 20 years after that career-making performance, the actor - born Susan Stockard - made a similarly indelible impression as First Lady Abbey Bartlet in The West Wing. Channing, who was nominated for an Oscar for her role in the Fred Schepisi film Six Degrees of Separation, can currently be seen as Julianna Margulies' wayward mother in The Good Wife.

     Source: Supplied

 

 

Jeff Conaway starred as T-Bird bad boy Kenickie in the 1978 film. Pictures: Supplied

Jeff Conaway

Conaway, who played bad boy T-Bird Kenickie in the film, died in May 2011. According to the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, his death was caused by a number of conditions, including coronary artery disease and pneumonia. The actor's struggle with drug and alcohol addiction was documented in the US reality television series Celebrity Rehab (2008). Also known for his role as a struggling actor in Taxi, Conaway was part of the original cast of the Broadway production of Grease, eventually stepping into the lead role of Danny Zuko. Travolta later joined the show as a chorus member. The pecking order was reversed on screen. The filmmakers asked 1.87m Conaway to stoop so that the 1.88m Travolta would appear taller. And in the stage version, the song Greased Lightning was sung by Kenickie. Travolta used his clout to have Zuko sing it in the film.

     Source: Supplied

 

 

Didi Conn as a beauty school dropout and more recently in 2010. Pictures:Supplied/Getty

Didi Conn

The beauty school dropout's distinctive, childlike voice is one of her trademarks - Conn was the voice of Raggedy Ann in the 1977 animated feature, Raggedy Ann & Andy: A Musical Adventure. The Brooklyn native lives outside New York City with her second husband, Broadway and film composer David Shire. Conn considers Grease and Grease 2 to be personal high-water marks. She named her son after leading man Danny Zuko. He was diagnosed with autism as a toddler. Later Conn became a celebrity spokesman for advocacy organisation Autism Speaks. To coincide with the 20th anniversary re-release of Grease in 1998, she published a memoir, Frenchy's Grease Scrapbook. "I hired two secretaries, went to Radio Shack and got a tape recorder," she says. "I got to reconnect with everybody. It was like no time had gone by." Most recently, Conn has appeared as a nurse on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.

    Source: Supplied

 

 

Pink Lady Jamie Donnelly seen in the film in 1978 and pictured with her family in 1998. Pictures: Supplied/Getty

Jamie Donnelly

Donnelly also played the role of Pink Lady Jan on Broadway. And she originated The Rocky Horror Show's Magenta/Usherette on stage with Tim Curry and Meat Loaf. Donnelly recently appeared in the Duplass Brothers comedy Cyrus with John C Reilly, Jonah Hill and Marisa Tomei. She also had a small role in the TV series Monk.

     Source: Supplied

 

 

Annette Cardona, credited as Annette Charles played Danny zuko's ex in the film. Pictures: Supplied/Getty

Annette Cardona

Credited as Annette Charles, Cardona was the only performer who could match John Travolta on the dance floor. In the electric, bad girl role of Cha Cha DiGregorio, Danny Zucko's ex from the rival high school, the Mexican-Sicilian performer had all the right moves. A seasoned dancer, singer and actor, Cardona appeared in a number of iconic 70s and 80s TV series, including The Bionic Woman, The Incredible Hulk and Magnum PI, before retraining to become a professor of speech communications at California State University, Northridge. Although she was not a smoker, Cardona died of lung cancer in 2011.

     Source: Supplied

 

 

Olivia Newton-John as last year named a National Living Treasure. Pictures:Supplied/Getty

Olivia Newton-John

Livvie was offered the role of Sandy Olsson after meeting producer Allan Carr at a dinner party at Helen Reddy's home. Worried that she was too old to play a high school senior (she turned 29 during filming), the four-time Grammy winner insisted on a screen test with co-star John Travolta, who was almost six years her junior. Newton-John had to be sewn into the trousers she wears in the final sequence in which she is transformed from circular skirt-wearing goody-two-shoes into a lycra-clad vamp. Most recently, the singer-turned-actor revealed considerable comedic chops as the cocaine-snorting, champagne swilling mother of the bride in Stephan Elliot's broad Aussie comedy A Few Best Men, co-starring Xavier Samuel and Kris Marshall. Last year, she and Travolta reunited for a new album, This Christmas. The singer, a breast cancer survivor herself, postponed a planned Las Vegas residency in April when her late sister, Rona, was diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour.

     Source: Supplied

 

 

John Travolta then with Olivia Newton-John and now with wife Kelly Preston. Pictures: Supplied/AFP

John Travolta

Travolta, a high school dropout himself, successfully swaggered his way through the 70s in a string of custom-made roles - Welcome Back, Kotter's Vinnie Barbarino, Saturday Night Fever's Tony Manero and Grease's Danny Zuko. He lost his mojo in the 1980s, which saw him struggle through a forgettable run of light comedies and telemovies. But with the help of Quentin Tarantino's groundbreaking 1994 crime drama Pulp Fiction, Travolta made the comeback of all comebacks as sympathetic hitman Vincent Vega. Since then, he has created a string of memorable characters, such as Hairspray's Edna Turnblad, and Get Shorty's Chili Palmer, for which he won a Golden Globe. Travolta recently finished filming the action thriller Killing Season with Robert De Niro. Next, he will play mobster John Gotti. Real-life partner Kelly Preston has been cast as on-screen wife Victoria.

 

Byron Bay attracts Elle Macpherson, Simon Baker, Jack Johnson, Olivia Newton-John and other stars

Source: Getty Images

Elle Halliwell, The Daily Telegraph, reports

They’re the sleepy towns that don't often hit the headlines - and that's why they're becoming the target of celebrities looking for a hideaway.

NSW's Robertson, Berrara, Nana Glen, Milton, Sutton Forest and Bowral are just some of the towns that play host to stars who have properties there.

Naturally, they're attracted by the anonymity of the surrounds and ability to walk around in boardies and thongs - unshaven and unnoticed.

"In Bryon Bay it's not uncommon to be at a cafe and find yourself sitting beside someone with $10 to his name and another worth $10 million," says Ray White Byron Bay principal David Gordon, who regularly deals with celebrity house hunters.

"I've surfed at Wategos (beach) with Elle Macpherson and been at a coffee shop with Pete Murray."

The NSW north coast town has arguably the densest population of celebrities in NSW outside Sydney, with international and local identities - many of them in the music industry - setting up base in nearby suburbs such as Bangalow.

Simon Baker, Jack Johnson, Olivia Newton-John and Andrew Stockdale all own property in and around Byron Bay, while Angus Stone, Australian Idol contestant Matt Corby, The Living End's Scott Owen and Ash Grunwald are also regularly spotted in town.

Further south in Port Macquarie, Grinspoon frontman Phil Jamieson has set up home, while residents of Newcastle and the Central Coast include Kasey Chambers and Silverchair's Daniel Johns. "It's all about privacy," says The Property Expert's Robert Klaric.

He says homes with long driveways, good security, and high hedges and fences are sought after.

"Most international celebrities will look for bigger properties which are difficult to be photographed."

Gordon says in the past stars preferred to buy in the Byron Bay hinterland, but now they're more inclined to buy closer to town.

"Years ago celebrities used to come here and buy a long way out of town at places such as Possum Creek, but now they're buying just a few minutes' drive away," he says. "They want privacy but are a lot happier buying within a closer radius of the beach as the travel can get tiring."

He says while many are usually happy to stop for a photo, the locals don't treat them any differently - which is exactly how they like it.

"We don't run up and ask them for autographs, they're treated as part of the landscape and that's why Byron Bay is so popular with celebrities," Gordon says.

Hunt is on for Sandy and Danny as Grease the musical returns

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John in the film version of Grease. Source: Supplied

Sally Bennett, The Herald Sun, reports

The search has begun for the next Sandy and Danny to star in a remake of hit musical Grease.

Producer John Frost today announced a new multi-million dollar show would be staged in Australia later this year.

Venues and dates are yet to be announced, but a spokesman confirmed the production would run in Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane theatres in the second half of the year.

The call to casting agents went out today and auditions will be held in all three cities from late February.

"I am constantly asked when I'll be producing Grease again," Frost said. "It's possibly the most requested musical in the back catalogue."

The musical was last seen in Australia in 2005, but that was an arena production.

The new theatre show will be an all-Australian remount of the most recent Broadway and West End productions and co-produced by London theatre giant David Ian.

The musical includes all the smash hits from the movie including You're the One That I Want, Grease is the Word, Summer Nights, Hopelessly Devoted To You and Greased Lightnin'.

"I knew the time was right to bring Grease back to Australia," Frost said.

"The TV series Glee celebrated the music of Grease on one of their recent episodes and Olivia Newton John and John Travolta (the original film stars) reunited for a Christmas album."

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta's new music video, I Think You Might Like It

John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John have recorded together for the first time in close to 30 years for their album This Christmas which includes a new track by John Farrar, the writer behind their Grease smash hit You're the One That I Want. Above is the video to the Farrar-written duet I Think You Might Like It.

If you're having trouble viewing it, you can also see it here:
http://abcnews.go.com/GMA/video/grease-stars-olivia-newton-john-john-travolta-reunite-17880436

Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta on the Today show

 



This morning’s interview with John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John on Aussie TV’s Today show

 

 

To watch the interview, click on the video above or follow the link below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD-Om8RcxUg&feature=youtu.be

Christmas is the (new) word for Danny and Sandy

This Christmas…reunited: Olivia Newton-John & John Travolta

Christine Sams, The Sydney Morning Herald, reports

John Travolta reveals how a desire to honour his late son sparked a new album with Olivia Newton-John.

John Travolta has revealed he teamed up with Olivia Newton-John to record a festive album in a bid to ease some of the devastation he feels about the loss of his son Jett at Christmas.

Travolta and Newton-John have recorded together for the first time in 30 years for their album This Christmas which includes a new track by John Farrar, the writer behind their Grease smash hit You're the One That I Want.

But aside from celebrating their iconic roles in Grease, their decision to work together was motivated by Travolta's desire to honour his son, who died in January 2009, aged only 16.

Travolta said Christmas is never an easy time of year for his family. "Doing something for him makes it easier, because you're doing something, you're proactive, you're raising money for the foundation that represents him,” Travolta said.

He said guest artists including Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett and James Taylor were happy to be involved, knowing proceeds of the album are going to the Jett Travolta Foundation and the Olivia Newton-John Cancer and Wellness Centre in Melbourne.

“It felt effortless,” Travolta said. “And everybody hopped on board effortlessly, we called Barbra and Tony and James and they all knew my son, so they just wanted to do this from their heart.

Travolta said he was inspired by Paul Newman in relation to raising money under Jett's name.

“Paul Newman did it through food, the Scott Newman foundation was to raise money for his son's foundation. People find different ways . . . I'm most comfortable doing it this way because I love to sing and I don't get a chance to do it a lot,” Travolta said.

“To join Olivia again, where we've succeeded at this level, to do that is a beautiful opportunity. I can't believe it.”

Both musicians, who spoke to Fairfax Media over the phone in a joint interview, are clearly thrilled to be working together again for the right reasons – and to acknowledge the influence Grease has had on popular culture.

“It came together in this really pure way, it has pure intentions. We still have little kids coming up to us who are discovering the movies; it's like three generations who love the movie, who are going to be thrilled to see Danny and Sandy, as they think of us, together again,” said Newton-John.

“For us, it's a wonderful way of giving back to causes that we care about and we're also giving the fans back something that they might like to see us do. Hopefully they'll like it as much as we hope they will.”

Grease fans have waited three decades for Danny Zuko and Sandy Olsson to team up again, so there is plenty of anticipation about how the new music will be received.

Travolta said they were both “excited” ahead of the global release on Wednesday of the video for the new Farrar single I Think You Might Like It.

“That's the one we chose firstly to do the video to and it comes out tomorrow morning worldwide,” Travolta said. “As Olivia said, the Grease fans are waiting for us to be together. This is a tip of a hat to Christmas, but it is a tip of the hat to Grease as well as a Christmas song. You're going to see a lot of Grease overtones in it and I think it's just enough, it's fun.”

Both stars said they have remained firm friends since making the movie, but were never keen to cash in on its success, just for the sake of it.

“We don't like to rush things,” Newton-John said, with a huge laugh. “Thirty years, well, maybe."

Travolta says needlessly plugging themselves as Danny and Sandy was never their style.

“Olivia and I are not aggressive people in that way, meaning we don't push ourselves on people. Grease was so big, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. The biggest musical in history plus the biggest pop duet in history. If you do anything trying to take advantage of that too much, people don't respond to it. But if you wait a long time, like we have, and it's really organic . . . Christmas is as timeless as Grease is . . . it feels more acceptable to present ourselves in that way.”

“Olivia and I have always wanted to work together again and you know, but unless it's right and organic, it feels like you're forcing something and I didn't want anyone to feel that way,” Travolta said.

The idea for a Christmas album, which includes guest appearances from a number of artists, came from Travolta, as the pair were texting each other.

“You're the One That I Want was named best duet of all time and I wrote John a text going 'hey, guess what' and 'Merry Christmas'. So he texted me back 'that's awesome, that's great for us',” Newton-John said.

“And he was talking to his family about listening to Christmas music . . . so he texted me back saying how about we do a Christmas song and I said yes, not thinking anything would come of it. Then we ran into each other about three weeks later – at a Qantas event of course – and John said how about we do a whole Christmas album and I thought that was a wonderful idea, I wish I'd thought of it. Then I said how about we do it for our charities and that was the clincher.”

Travolta said he hoped the Christmas music would be enjoyed by fans for years.

“As Olivia said, it's that gift that keeps on giving. I still listen to Johnny Mathis and that was [recorded in] 1960,” Travolta said.

It's clear beyond the Christmas album sales, Travolta and Newton-John wanted to something to mark the Grease legacy given the bond they will always share because of the film.

“Oprah Winfrey said to me 'of all the movies you've done, John, what's the one you'd put in a time capsule?' And I said Grease and she said 'Grease? Really!” And I said it's the biggest musical in history and it's given people such joy and it's number one movie, my most successful movie, too. So why wouldn't I want to share that with whatever future generations, down the centuries? That's the one I can guarantee [will have] the most positive effect on others,” Travolta said.

Newton-John said she was still amazed by the success of the film. “And who knew when we made this, that it would still be giving so much pleasure to people.”

She admitted she still has the famous skintight black trousers from the film's final scene. “They're in my closet . . . and the jacket,” she said.

“You still have yours?” Travolta exclaimed, during the joint interview. “You are so smart,” he added to Newton-John.

“I think mine went to donations earlier,” Travolta said. “I get to own wardrobe but I tend to just give it away.”

The pair said they are happy to watch the film again themselves, with Newton-John saying she is now far enough removed from the project to watch it without analysing her performance.

“It came on [television] on the tour bus recently,” she said. “I sat there with my band and we were watching it and I really got to watch it without critiquing myself, because it's so long ago now, I've let go of that. And I thought 'this is a fun film'. Every second was full, there's never a dull moment in that movie, it just keeps moving, it's got such energy. I can see why people like it, I stood back from a little bit.”

Travolta said Newton-John texted him afterwards, in what was a funny moment between the pair so many years on.

“She texted me saying 'boy, you were cute!' She fell in love with me again, I liked that part of it,” he added, with a laugh.

Travolta and Newton John's album This Christmas is out now through Universal Music.