The labels on Olivia Newton-John didn’t do her justice. At least that’s the belief of one of her close friends. Despite all the positive clichés she got throughout her life, Australian journalist Neil McMahon thinks that Olivia was more than just ‘nice.’
In addition to interviewing her and covering her career, Neil attended charity events with Olivia and developed a close bond throughout her life.
Neil gave his take on the Grease actress who died in 2022 of breast cancer at 73. He notes that although her reputation was positive, it didn’t capture her true essence.
Olivia Newton-John’s friend says the star “got a bit of a bum rap”
There was more substance to Olivia than we think. As beloved as she was, however, Neil says the general clichés about her only scratched the surface of who she was.
In an excerpt from Matthew Hild’s upcoming biography A Little More Love revealed by People, Neil discussed the public perception of his friend. “It was a bit of a shallow word to describe her,” said Neil about her nice label. He adds that “I always thought she got a bit of a bum rap,” because of that word.
Reputations and labels are things that many celebrities have been bestowed with, whether they want to or not. In October, actress Sydney Sweeney weighed in on her label as a sex symbol. She believed there was a lot more depth to her acting than this.
In the upcoming book, Neil is among the many close to her who detail who she was in his eyes. The biography discusses her journey from painfully shy to a beloved entertainer. Friends in the book will share behind-the-scenes stories about Olivia.
Among the revelations in this memoir is Olivia’s near-dating of her Grease co-star, John Travolta. Along with that, it shares how she met her future husband, Matt Lattanzi, as a dancer in Xanadu, and how she dated cameraman Patrick McDermott before his mysterious disappearance. A Little More Love will be available beginning on May 14.
TELL US – DO YOU THINK THE LABEL ON OLIVIA NEWTON-JOHN WAS A FAIR ONE?
