Olivia Newton-John has revealed she has no regrets about selling some of her most prized memorabilia for charity.
The singer and actress, best known for playing Sandy Olsson in beloved 1978 musical Grease, has allowed items from her glittering career to go to auction to benefit her cancer research centre.
More than 200 objects are up for grabs, including the famous skin-tight leather outfit worn by Newton-John in Grease.
The jacket and trousers, which she wears in the final scene of the film while singing You’re The One That I Want with John Travolta, are expected to fetch between $100,000 (£79,218) and $200,000 (£158,436).
And while it was a time-consuming effort to sift through a lifetime’s worth of items, 71-year-old Newton-John, who is fighting against cancer for a third time, said it was an easy decision to make.
She told the PA news agency: “I’ve already let go.
“That’s one of the things I’ve learned on this journey of mine, is that stuff isn’t important, it’s people and the relationships you have.
“So you know, those clothes were wonderful and I enjoyed them. And now someone else can enjoy them.”
Newton-John, who was born in the UK before moving to Australia as a child, added: “What’s wonderful is now I have the most incredible photographs of everything. And I can just look at it, which is much better than going to your closet and dragging them all out.
“And someone else will enjoy them and win them and I like to think of that. And it was just the right time to do this, because I’m not going to be touring anymore and I’m not going to be wearing them so it’s perfect.”
Newton-John also recalled being stitched into the trousers for filming and said she recently tried the full outfit on – and it still fits.
Other items from Grease due to be sold at Julien’s Auctions in Beverly Hills include Newton-John’s original script from the film, which is estimated to fetch between $2,000 (£1,584) and $4,000 (£3,169).
A custom Pink Ladies jacket presented to Newton-John by the cast and crew of Grease, is also likely to fetch between $2,000 (£1,584) and $4,000 (£3,169).
Items from her wardrobe due to go up for sale include a gold top and pair of shorts worn while promoting her single Physical and a silk bodice worn on the cover of her 1982 tour book.
Newton-John also opened up on fighting cancer for a third time. She was first diagnosed with the disease in in the early 1990s and then again in 2013.
Her most recent diagnosis came in 2017. Newton-John said living with the disease has made her “more grateful”.
She said: “I approach every day with gratitude. Every day I have is a blessing and that might sound trite but it’s true.
“I’ve been through this thing three times now and each time I’m even more grateful.
“And particularly this time because I was bed-ridden, I couldn’t walk and it took me kind of a year to get back to myself so I’m very grateful, just for life in general.”
Newton-John hopes to see a cure for the disease in her lifetime.
“That’s my dream, my dream is that my lifetime will see an end to cancer,” she said.
“I believe we’ll find it in my lifetime. I’ve just got to live long enough now and I plan to.”
A portion of the proceeds from the auction will be donated to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness And Research Centre in Melbourne, Australia.
The auction takes place in Beverly Hills on Saturday.
