Jason Donovan appeared emotional on ITV's Lorraine as he paid tribute to Grease actress, the late great Olivia Newton-John.
The former Neighbours star is currently playing the role of Teen Angel in the rebooted West End production of the hit 1971 musical at the Dominion theatre. However, he couldn't help but get slightly choked up when speaking about his surprising link to the famous actress.
Olivia was best known for her role as Sandy Olsen in the 1978 film adaptation alongside John Travolta. Whilst Jason, 55, paid tribute to the star as he revealed the cast and production team have dedicated the show to her.
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He said: "I think it's sort of about a year since she passed. I mean, she has an incredible legacy, not just in the film and television and her music, but also the work she did for cancer, for breast cancer." However, the singer also revealed that he has a personal connection to the late actress as they have mutual connections back in his native Australia.
"In Grease, you know, Olivia was an Australian, and she was from Melbourne, same town and funnily enough connected through family and friends there, that I know," Jason explained. "So it was a massive loss.
"But I also know that some of those people were carrying the baton for her work in cancer," he added, as Lorraine Kelly couldn't help but declare how amazing her work was. He said: "With Grease, we're championing her work and also the spirit of the show."
Meanwhile, Jason was known for his infamous role as Scott Robinson in the Australian soap opera Neighbours in the 80s. He briefly returned in a highly-publicised cameo for what he thought was the final episode following the series' cancellation on Channel 5.
However, the show made a huge return to Amazon Freevee and Jason couldn't help but get reflective about his time on the popular serial drama programme. He said: "We all went there with the spirit of it being finished at that time and and also giving a nod to sort of the past. And I think, you know, we achieved that to a certain degree and brought the attention back to the show, so much so that they thought it went for another series.
"In my mind, it's about not just about the show, it's about the people that worked on the show. It's about creating employment for people giving opportunity. Neighbours launched so many careers. I mean, when Jeff Bezos comes knocking I guess you answer the door!"
Lorraine airs weekdays at 9am on ITV
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