The 70-year-old actress is currently battling breast cancer for the third time, and although the disease is no doubt taking its toll on her, she isn’t letting it hold her back, as she says she’s “doing well” despite her diagnosis.
She said: “I’m doing well. I’m thriving! This is my world.”
The ‘Grease’ star is teaming up with Dancers Against Cancer - an organisation that has raised more than $2 million for dance educators, choreographers, dancers and their families who have been impacted by cancer - and has said the cause means a lot to her, as dance is very close to her heart.
She added: “The dance performing community means a lot to me. I’ve always loved dancers and wished that I’d learnt when I was young. I used to do creative dance, but I never really learned it until I had to dance with Gene Kelly and John Travolta. Lucky me, I got to do ‘Dancing with the Stars’ long before it was a show.”
Olivia learned her cancer had returned in 2017, more than two decades since she was first diagnosed, and says that whilst she was “lucky” to be able to fund her own care, others aren’t so fortunate.
Speaking to People magazine on the set of a PSA video shoot for Dancers Against Cancer, she said: “My cancer journey started in 1992, and I went through surgery and chemotherapy. I was lucky enough to have yoga and massage and homeopathy and meditation, and then I had a spell of years where I was okay. Then I have metastases now.”
Meanwhile, Olivia was forced to deny claims she has passed away in January this year, and said she found it "very strange” reading the rumours of her death.
She said: "It's a very strange feeling to read that you're dead.
"So I thought well I've got to make light of this because this is just going to continue on and get worse and worse so that's when I did the video saying the reports of my death were greatly exaggerated ... I'm still here and doing great.
"I'm doing really well. In fact I just had some tests done and I'm doing great thank you ... My dream is that we'll see an end to cancer in my lifetime."
