Earlier this year the Aussie songstress was at her lowest ebb, after being rocked by a series of health crises. As she was forced to cancel a string of US tour dates, it looked doubtful that the veteran performer would ever be well enough to take the stage again.
However, fast forward just six months and Olivia’s fortunes have completely turned around in what friends are calling ‘a Christmas miracle’. As she heads into the festive season, the singer has so many reasons to celebrate – something that seemed unimaginable just half a year earlier.
‘Olivia feels incredibly blessed to be spending Christmas with the ones she loves this year,’ says a family insider. ‘She has worked hard to remain very positive throughout her treatment, but of course she’s been scared.
‘Making it to the Christmas table with daughter Chloe and husband John is a true blessing, and she feels like her prayers have been answered.
‘She’s not out of the woods with her health by any stretch, but she’s determined to be around for many years – and Christmases – to come. That’s for sure.’
Olivia’s health crisis peaked when the 69-year-old revealed that her cancer had returned.
After having beaten cancer 25 years earlier, she found the doctors’ discovery ‘scary’, revealing they said she had a ‘tumour in my sacrum’.
If that devastating news wasn’t enough, at the time, Olivia was also struggling to manage crippling back pain. The singer was in so much agony that she was ‘limping’ and could barely walk – let alone perform.
But despite the gloomy outlook, Olivia vowed to remain upbeat throughout it all.
‘The words that came to my mind were: “This too shall pass!”’ Olivia told Closer magazine. ‘I just had to believe that I was going to be OK.’
With the help of radiation treatment from her doctors, along with embracing alternative natural remedies like medicinal marijuana, Olivia’s health has rapidly improved.
Olivia was finally well enough to return to the stage in November – and she hasn’t stopped!
Performing a run of shows towards the end of the year, with the most recent in California on December 10, Olivia achieved what many thought to be impossible.
‘Being on the road with my band has been healing for me,’ Olivia smiles. ‘When I get to sing the songs I love, it’s like a gift.’
Along with a positive mindset, the other major influence on Olivia’s road to recovery has been her unwavering support system. Olivia credits her husband of nine years John Easterling, and her daughter Chloe Lattanzi, 31, for helping her through the battle of her life.
At the time of her diagnosis, sharing the heartbreaking news with her loved ones ‘wasn’t easy’. But both John and Chloe stepped up to the challenge and made it their mission to be Olivia’s rocks.
Speaking to Dr Oz last month, Olivia went on to reveal that she’s thankful to be spending Christmas with her family – but says she takes every day as it comes.
‘Life goes so quickly,’ she said. ‘But I want to be here and keep doing what I do.’
For the full story see this weeks issue of New Idea - out now!
