Olivia will sacrifice her career to have a baby - Story

Issue No 23

Translation:

In Malibu, California, Olivia Newton-John has isolated herself in her small ranch to take stock of her life. What is going on with this charming person who remains the spokesperson for today's youth?

There is only one explanation for her curious silence: love and... John Travolta! Even if we hear her a little less often on the radio, even if we see her less and less often on television or in the cinema, Olivia Newton-John (31 years old) is still as popular as ever.

And the first to testify to this tremendous popularity would be none other than the head of the postal service in Malibu, California, where the charming Olivia Newton-John lives. Because it should be noted that Olivia receives more than... 20,000 letters from her fans every week.

Missives from all over the world: Asia, Africa, Europe, Oceania... Why don't you ever come to Japan? When will we see you again with our dear John Travolta? Are you preparing a new album? Are you really happy in the United States? What are the secrets of your beauty?

These are some of the thousands of questions that Olivia has decided to no longer... answer. At least for the moment... Something has changed with Olivia. She is no longer the same. Have fame and fortune eroded her kindness and eternal good humor? This is the question that all those close to her are asking.

Yet, barely six weeks ago, Olivia had gone to the depths of Mexico to visit one of her admirers. A little girl suffering from an incurable disease: leukemia. The Mexican teenager had asked Olivia to attend her birthday party. Olivia showered her with gifts: trinkets, perfumes, sweets, Creatures, toys, clothes... For the young Mexican, it was a wonderful day. A star was at the foot of her bed!!! She thought she was dreaming. But unfortunately, it was her last birthday.

Three days after Olivia's visit, the little girl breathed her last.

Since then, Olivia has hardly left her Malibu ranch. She has completely isolated herself there. To the point of even considering ending her prestigious career. Olivia would like to become a woman like any other again. A woman with a home, a husband, and a... child.

At 31, she feels it is high time to realize her three big dreams. Olivia agreed to meet with the Story team.

Let's give her the floor to try to explain her feelings.

Olivia Newton-John: It would be impossible for me to talk about my current terrible anxieties without mentioning problems that are ultimately very recent. Two years ago, I was still unknown. I was one of the many dancers in New York clubs. And like all my friends, I was trying as best I could to make a little place for myself in the sun. And my luck was... John Travolta. Or more precisely Robert Stigwood, the producer of Saturday Night Fever. An extraordinary film. He was looking for a girl to play alongside John Travolta in Grease. And he discovered me completely by chance. He thought I was great, it was the chance of a lifetime. My luck and my misfortune. My luck because working with John Travolta is a wonderful thing. Later, to my friends, I could perhaps say that those were the good times!!!

But it's also my misfortune because I no longer have the opportunity to lead a normal life. Every move I make is spied on. Do you want an example? The other night, I was at the famous Studio 54 in New York. Many stars were also there. There was Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, the Gibb brothers and... Mick Jagger. He danced with me for a good part of the evening. Imagine my astonishment when I read the newspapers the next morning! I had become engaged to the singer of the Rolling Stones. Surprising? I would say more than that... I would say annoying.

Because next to a headline in bold letters over three columns, there was a photo showing me curled up in Mick's arms. My friend Lee Kramer, who was not attending the party, naturally asked me for an explanation. No matter how much I told him it was just the product of an overactive imagination, Lee wouldn't listen. It would have been a close call, and it would have meant separation... But I absolutely want to be happy in love. Lee is the man of my life. He comes before the demands of my job. After all, isn't fame more fleeting? That's my opinion...

Olivia and Lee Kramer, inseparable for a long time, hope to get married soon. If all goes well, it should be by the end of '79. And then, it will be time for them to have one or... more children.

Actually, I'd like three, says Olivia. Two girls and a boy. A very beautiful dream... Because, in reality, I will never be able to have children. And that's if I believe the diagnoses of... 12 gynaecologists. They all think that my... pelvis is far too fragile. You should know that at 18, I was the victim of a terrible car accident. I escaped with a triple fracture of the pelvis. At the time, I was already told that I would never be able to have children. I didn't believe it. And to tell you the truth, at that age, I wasn't that interested.

Then I didn't have time to think about it any more. Work, work, work... Today, it's different. I shouldn't wait 15 years. It would be too late by then! And too bad for the gynaecologists. I'll have a child even if I have to stay in bed for nine months. I want this child, and I will have it... It's the only way to make me a balanced woman again. A happy woman. And if my star has to fade, I won't make a disaster of it. A child is all I want from now on.

Editor's note - I do not think that the quotes attributed to Olivia about gynaecologists were said by her. Olivia is generally too priiate to go into so much detail, even if it were true.