Olivia Newton-John's niece Tottie Goldsmith has written a beautiful letter shared exclusively with HELLO! where she makes a heartfelt promise to her late aunt.
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Her family and close celebrity friends shared personal memories of Olivia exclusively with HELLO! for our Breast Cancer Awareness Month to celebrate the late star’s amazing legacy. Tottie captured some of Olivia’s magic in her touching letter, lovingly describing her as a "mesmerising person" and a "tornado of joy".
The actress took us on an emotional journey with her lovely words, sharing their incredible bond and detailing the great love they had for each other.
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Read Tottie's letter in full below…
Olivia 'Liv', was my Aunt, my confidante and my guiding light.
Liv is, and was, magic. She was a tornado of joy and action, a visionary, and a healer. Every day, in every way, she moved us forward as people and was a passionate advocate for everyone who needed her. Liv never imagined that life would turn out the way it did for her, and she treated that gift with the grace and gratitude it deserved.
Olivia was not in her ego, and she did not have to win. She maintained relationships with everyone she came into close contact with and gave more than she got, always - which is quite a feat when the world has given you so much.
© Photo: InstagramSweet childhood throwback of Tottie with her late aunt Olivia
When I was a little girl, Liv carried the weight of our mother's absence. She would visit our house, hold us tight, and remind us that we were loved and cherished. It wasn’t her weight to carry, but she did it nonetheless. She always had space for us in her life - regardless of where she was or how big her own burdens were, we never doubted her love for us.
© Photo: Getty ImagesOlivia, Tottie and John cheering the crowd during the annual Wellness Walk in 2018
As I grew to see what Liv's life was like behind all of the cameras and creativity, I became acutely aware that her true superpower was intimacy. During one of her USA tours, I jumped on her tour bus in America and travelled through the American Bible Belt with her. Far from the glamorised life that we imagine on the road for musicians at the height of their fame, Liv and I spent each night curled up and talking, holding hands as we fell asleep. Liv took her work very seriously, but not herself.
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Behind the scenes, Liv was a person who was unceasingly proud of her British heritage, was a true 'Aussie' with one of the broadest Australian accents you are likely to come across, and felt most at home on her gorgeous ranch in the USA.
In her times of quiet and peace at home she loved to listen to country music, orchestral pieces with soaring melodies, learning about the natural world, and meditating.
Liv was an incredibly mesmerising person. One of the most striking things about her was that each room that she walked into became the most important room, full of the most important people, to her. She gave her attention in full and she gave her self so completely that her impact stayed long after she had left.
© Photo: InstagramTottie shares a close bond with Olivia's daughter Chloe
It is that legacy of absolute commitment to both people and to the causes she was passionate about that is front of mind for us now. As I grew up alongside Liv, with only 14 years between us, she always placed me alongside her when she worked on the ONJ Centre for Wellness. The Melbourne-based project is a testament to her drive to bring peace and the notion of 'thriving, not surviving' to the journey of cancer treatment. Liv believed that everyone has the right to have complimentary therapies help pain and anxiety. I will forever be grateful to her for instilling in me a deep passion for health and the need to bring access to health to all people.
I'll feel you in the breeze and I'll love you forever. I'll be holding Chloe's hand and we will do this together and make you proud.
Tottie 'Plonk'
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