Patti Newton will honour her golden wedding anniversary this week with a “toast to love”.
Unable to spend it with the man who still has her heart, her late husband Bert, Patti, 79, will instead mark the milestone with her daughter Lauren, son-in-law Matt Welsh and their six children.
“They won’t make a big song and dance about it,” a family friend tells New Idea.
“Lauren is anxious to get her mother out and about, not sitting at home missing Bert and feeling miserable.
“They will probably go out to dinner together, at one of Bert’s favourite restaurants in Melbourne and raise a glass to love and marriage.”
Patti fondly remembers the day, 50 years ago, when she went from being a McGrath to a Newton. It was November 9, 1974, and the hysteria outside St Dominic’s Church in Camberwell, Melbourne rivalled that of an AFL Grand Final.
Hundreds of excited fans and television cameras mobbed the church hoping to get a glimpse of Patti, who arrived 20 minutes late. One woman told a reporter that she had been waiting “four hours” and was not “going to move” – despite police ordering the swarming crowd to “move back”. Bert’s best man Graham Kennedy was also mobbed as he arrived.
“It was the best day of my life,” Patti recently said of the wedding.
“I married this wonderful man. I was so lucky to have had him choose me.”
Heartbroken Patti still misses Bert “every single day”, says the source.
The showbiz great passed away on October 30, 2021, aged 83 following a long battle with a number of illnesses.
Yet despite her grief, Patti continues to work harder than ever, performing in concerts, musical theatre and broadcast guest spots.
“For many years, Patti’s career took a back seat to Bert,” another close friend explains.
“He was the major star of the household, and she was happy to be his support act.
“But she has always been a trouper, starting off as a child in Melbourne radio. So it makes perfect sense for Patti to take solace in entertaining other people. After all, that was her first love, even before Bert came along.”
Most recently, Patti has been wowing audiences around the country in Grease The Musical alongside Marcia Hines, who has become a dear friend. Before that, she toured as the Bird Woman in Mary Poppins. She started in the show 12 months after losing her cherished husband.
“I always felt Bert sent the role to me to get me through, and that’s exactly what it did,” Patti shared at the time.
Apart from work, Patti’s greatest comforts are Lauren and her six adorable grandchildren, who live nearby in Melbourne. Son Matthew is based in the US with his wife, Catherine, following his well-publicised legal
and mental health issues.
“Patti and Lauren are best friends, as well as mother and daughter,” says our source.
“They really love each other’s company and enjoy shopping sprees together. Even when Patti is working interstate, Lauren and the kids fly in to watch her perform. Their bond is unbreakably strong. It’s just heartwarming.”
