Olivia Newton-John has refuted claims which suggest she is close to death following her third cancer diagnosis. The 70-year-old, who rose to fame as Sandy in the iconic movie Grease in the seventies, took to Twitter to reassure her followers, saying that "rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated". In a video released on Wednesday, she shared: "Happy New Year everyone, this is Olivia Newton-John and I just want to say that the rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated, to quote a very famous quote.
Olivia Newton-John took to Twitter to give fans an update
"And I am doing great and want to wish all of you the happiest, healthiest 2019 as possible and thank you all for your wonderful love and support for me and for my Olivia Newton-John cancer wellness centre in Melbourne, Australia." The star concluded: "Thank you so much, Happy New Year." Earlier this week, the Australian star's manager Michael Caprio responded to the death rumours, which was first published on Radar Online, where an insider told the site: "Olivia's bodily functions appear to be shutting down, but she refuses to let go until she makes it through [her daughter] Chloe's wedding day." Speaking about the articles, Michael Caprio said: "You might want to get better sources versus reading tabloids."
MORE: John Travolta reunites with Olivia Newton-John 40 years after starring in Grease
Olivia revealed her third cancer diagnosis to the world in September. She was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 - on the same weekend that her father passed away - and was given the all-clear after undergoing chemotherapy and a mastectomy. In 2013, the actress found out that she had cancer in her shoulder. Opening up about her most recent on Australian TV's Sunday Night, she said: "I'd be lying if I said I never [get scared]. There are moments, I'm human. If I allowed myself to go there, I could easily create that big fear. But my husband's always there, and he's there to support me. I believe I will win over it. That's my goal."
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.