Olivia Newton-John gets highest honour from the British government for her singing, acting and charitable work
The 71-year-old Olivia Newton-John, famous for starring in the hit musical 'Grease' and winning four Grammys, has been awarded the title of "Dame" by the Queen.
Part of the 'New Year's Honours' list, she joins other showbusiness figures to be honored by the Queen like filmmakers Sam Mendes and Steve McQueen, actress Wendy Craig, TV presenter Floella Benjamin, Queen drummer Roger Taylor and singer Billy Ocean.
"I am extremely excited, honored and grateful beyond words to be included with such an esteemed group of women who have received this distinguished award before me," said Dame Olivia about receiving the honor.
"I am very proud of my British ancestry and so appreciative to be recognized in this way," she added. She was given the honor for her services to charity as a cancer campaigner and to the entertainment world as an actress and a singer.
Dame Olivia is the granddaughter of Nobel Prize-winning physicist Max Born. Her father, Wilfred, was a former MI5 officer, who worked on the Enigma project. When he became a professor at the University of Melbourne, he moved his family, including six-year-old Olivia, to Australia.
She first became famous as a singer in the 70s, representing Britain in the Eurovision Song Contest. After cutting three UK No 1 singles and selling more than 100 million albums, she starred in the role of a lifetime. As "Sandy", opposite Travolta in Grease, she became an iconic pop culture figure.
She was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992. To recover, she underwent a partial mastectomy and rounds of chemotherapy. After her first brush with the disease, she became an active cancer campaigner, raising awareness about the illness.
She is also an advocate for breast cancer research and the product spokesperson for the Liv-Kit, a breast self-examination product. Dame Olivia is also involved in supporting other charitable organizations and events, especially those that work for animals and children.
Sadly, the singer-actress is still battling cancer. The illness returned in 2013, and despite the second round of treatment, it returned again in 2017.
It was reported that cancer has now metastasized to her lower back. Dame Olivia has openly talked about using cannabis oil to ease her cancer pain and has become an advocate for medical cannabis.