Olivia Newton-John is currently battling cancer for the third time – after keeping her second fight with the disease a secret.
The 69-year-old singer and actress was revealed she was fighting breast cancer in May last year, and whilst it was believed the latest struggle was her second time facing the disease after a battle 26 years ago, she has now revealed she dealt with the illness in secret in 2013.
Olivia revealed she was involved in a minor car accident five years ago which led to the discovery of a lump on her back, and whilst she originally thought it was caused by the strain of her seatbelt during the collision, subsequent scans revealed the lump was actually the return of breast cancer.
Speaking about keeping the diagnoses under wraps, she said: "I thought, ‘It’s my life’ and I just decided to keep it to myself."
The ‘Grease’ star has undergone radiation therapy for the new tumour at the base of her spine, and says she’s also being aided by medical marijuana that her husband of 10 years, John Easterling, grows at the couple’s ranch in Santa Barbara, California.
She said: "In California, it’s legal to grow a certain amount of plants for your own medicinal purposes … I’m very lucky that I live in a state where it’s legal and that I have a husband that is a plant-medicine man."
Despite her ongoing medical battle, Olivia won’t be consumed by negativity, as she knows she’s "a very privileged person".
The ‘Physical’ hitmaker added: "There are other people out there doing much, much worse than me. I’m a very privileged person, and I’m very aware of that. I live in this beautiful place. I have a wonderful husband. I have all the animals that I adore. I have an incredible career. I have nothing, really, to complain about."
And she’s confident she’ll pull through and beat the disease once and for all.
Speaking to Australia’s ‘Sunday Night’, she said: "I believe I will win over it, and that’s my goal."
Olivia Newton-John faced second cancer battle in secret
