Today Show co-anchor Hoda Kotb shared a touching memory about Olivia Newton-John on Monday, following the iconic singer’s death. Kotb recalled how Newton-John asked more questions during their last interview in October 2021 than she did. Newton-John died after a 30-year battle with breast cancer. Kotb was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and had a mastectomy.
“I am heartbroken. Olivia Newton-John touched so many people… including me,” Kotb wrote on Instagram Monday. “She radiated hope and love… I’ll never forget my interview with her… but she kept asking questions about me. As I steered the conversation back to her… she turned it back again. That never happens. She was always all about shining the light on someone else. Now that light is all yours Olivia. Rest In Peace.”
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Kotb spoke with Newton-John in October 2021 to mark the 40th anniversary of her smash hit “Physical.” After Kotb told Newton-John she also fought breast cancer, the singer was quick to ask Kotb how she was doing. “I’m really sorry you went through that,” she said. “I didn’t know that about you. So you’re well now, you’re doing good?”
“Yes, I’m doing good,” Kotb replied as she held back tears. “By the way, I’m just going to pause for a second. Another wonderful thing about you is what you just did there. Thank you. Thank you for asking.”
“Oh, of course,” Newton-John replied. “We’re sisters. Anyone that has gone on this journey with cancer, its unknown destinations and surprises, and turns.”
Newton-John was diagnosed with breast cancer for the first time in 1992. Her cancer recurred in 2013 and 2017. With the last recurrence, the cancer spread to her bones and progressed to stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. At the time of her interview with Kotb, Newton-John said she was “feeling pretty good.” She added, “I have my days, I have my pains, but the cannabis that my husband grows for me has been such a huge part of my healing, and so I’m a really lucky person.”
Kotb was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2007 and underwent a mastectomy. She has been open about her experience since then, recently speaking about how she came to embrace her post-surgery body in May. It was a long journey, she told her Today with Hoda & Jenna co-host Jenna Bush Hager. Her perspective changed when she dated someone who saw her as beautiful.
“That was his purpose, I think, in my life. I remembered feeling not pretty and not worthy, and then somebody doesn’t see the scars. Like, someone looks at you and just doesn’t see that,” she told Hager in May. Kotb called it a “wait-a-minute” moment, adding, “All the sudden your back is straighter, you feel better and you made it through that hurdle… Now I look at my scars, and I’m happy.”
Newton-John died peacefully at her ranch in California, her family said Monday. She is survived by her husband, John Easterling, her daughter Chloe Lattanzi, her brother Toby Newton-John, and nieces and nephews.
“Olivia has been a symbol of triumphs and hope for over 30 years sharing her journey with breast cancer,” the family’s statement read. “Her healing inspiration and pioneering experience with plant medicine continue with the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund, dedicated to researching plant medicine and cancer. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that any donations be made in her memory to the Olivia Newton-John Foundation Fund.”
