Dame Olivia Newton-John’s niece Tottie Goldsmith has given an emotional interview about her aunt’s ‘painful’ final days as she revealed the star was ‘really skinny and unwell’
Tottie broke down in tears during an interview with A Current Affair on Tuesday just one day after her aunt passed away from a long battle with breast cancer.
The iconic Grease star died peacefully at the age of 73 at her home in southern California on Monday, surrounded by her family and friends.
READ MORE: Olivia Newton-John dies aged 73 after 30-year battle with breast cancer
Tottie, whose mother Rona was Dame Olivia’s sister, has now revealed that her aunt’s death had been anticipated by the family, as she deteriorated over the past week.
(Image: A CURRENT AFFAIR)
‘It’s not a shock, we’ve known how sick she’s been, especially the last five days,’ she told host Tracy Grimshaw.
Explaining that Dame Olivia’s husband John Easterling had kept everyone ‘in the loop’, Totti then went on to reveal her heart-wrenching final moments with Olivia.
‘I couldn’t get to America in time and I wanted to say goodbye, so I asked him if he could hold the phone up to her ear, but he got me on FaceTime so I managed to see her.
(Image: A CURRENT AFFAIR)
‘I told her all the things I needed to say. She was leaving us… but I could feel like she got it.’
Tottie went on to reflect on Olivia’s decades-long battle with cancer.
‘There was one day at the Olivia Newton-John Centre and she was really skinny and unwell and I said to her, “Are you afraid of dying”, and she said, “Plonker, I’m not afraid. I’ve done more in my life that I could have ever imagined.”‘
(Image: Getty Images for G’Day USA)
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The 59-year-old added that she ‘really went down in the past five, six days’ and ‘really struggled with a lot of pain’ as cannabinoids, for which she was an advocate, were not ‘enough’ to help her in the later stages of her life.
Tottie broke down into tears when she was asked what Olivia was most proud of in life.
She immediately answered, ‘Chloe’, referring to the daughter she shares with ex-husband Matt Lattanzi.
‘She loved that girl so much. Chloe’s doing it really tough, but she’s been amazing.’
At the end of the interview, Tottie said her family would accept Victorian premier Daniel Andrews’ offer of a state funeral to celebrate Olivia’s extraordinary life and legacy.
Tottie said the family would accept the offer ‘on behalf of not just our family’ but also Australia.
‘She’s so loved, and I think our country needs it so we’re going to accept it,’ she stated.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
