Olivia Newton-John Can Still Fit Into Iconic ‘Grease’ Outfit

Olivia Newton-John did something she hadn’t done in over 40 years during her interview with CBS Sunday Morning‘s Gayle King. During a wide-ranging profile of the 71-year-old actress and singer, the Grease star went into a dressing room and showed that she can still fit into her signature black leather pants from the classic film. After showing that they still fit, she explained to King how she got them on during the filming of the movie.

“I was a pretty skinny girl and they were the perfect fit for me except the zip was broken, so they would stitch me into them.” She admitted she tried not to drink too much water during filming to avoid having to use the bathroom.

Newton-John is auctioning off the pants, along with many other outfits from her career, to raise money for the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness and Research Center in Melbourne, Australia. She is currently battling cancer for the third time, and founded the research center amid her latest fight against breast cancer.

The English-born Australian entertainer was first diagnosed with cancer in 1992, but beat it. It came back in 2012, and she was once again able to overcome the disease. But in 2017 she found out it had metastasized and spread to her bones. Newton-John says the pain is often unbearable, and she uses marijuana to ease it.

Still, she remains optimistic. “It’s almost like — I think I know what the statistics are. And if, and, but I put them away. But I’m gonna live longer than that. I’ve made that decision. And I don’t buy into the statistics ’cause I think they can make you really nervous,” she told King.

She continued, explaining how denial can be helpful in her situation. “Denial is really healthy. It was consuming by day, and after some time I went, ‘You know what? I don’t know what my time is, but I need to enjoy my life, so I’m gonna eat a cookie if I want it and I’m gonna have a cup of tea if I want it, and I want to have a little bit of wine then I’m gonna do that.”

Newton-John has enjoyed a long and successful career. She first started in the entertainment business as a singer in England, releasing her first album in 1971. She has a string of hits before becoming an international when she landed the lead role in the film adaptation of Grease, as the lead character, Sandy. She’s recently had public support for her co-star in the movie, John Travolta.

She has one daughter and has been married to her second husband, John Easterling, since 2008.