Olivia Newton-John’s nephew, Emerson Newton-John, has released some previously unseen footage of his late aunt.
The professional race car driver posted two clips from the unaired pilot episode of the TV series “Celebrity Car Crash.” His YouTube page Friday.
“Despite her health rapidly declining due to cancer and lacking the strength she once had, we saw glimpses of a younger Olivia throughout filming,” he said. He told E! News.
“Whether you end up watching this show on TV or not, that alone would make the time and investment that went into making Celebrity Car Crash worth it. There was no acting involved, just pure amazement, delight and a strong sense of nostalgia.”
Emerson Newton-John has shared previously unseen footage from a series in which he performed with his aunt, the late Olivia Newton-John. (Dennis Truscello/WireImage)
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In one 30-second clip, Emerson arrives at Newton-John’s house in a vintage VW Bug, and she tells him, “I learned to drive in a manual. I don’t know if you remember, but I’ll give it a go.” In the next shot, she is seen comfortably behind the wheel.
“Watching this clip again was the most satisfying thing for me because I remember just a few weeks before we shot this scene and being so excited to see her reaction when she saw the surprise I had prepared for her. She had no idea what was going to arrive in her driveway, much less something she hadn’t seen in over 40 years!” Emerson told the outlet.
“I was left with nothing but pure surprise, delight and positive nostalgia.”
He noted that it was the first car she had purchased in America, and being able to drive it again amid her declining health was a big deal.
“At the time, she was not physically fit and had not driven a manual car for decades, so we were betting on whether she would be able to drive the car without stalling. Even though we had faith in her driving ability, there is no denying that we were betting that she would stall! In fact, not only did she not stall, she took off incredibly smoothly and did not make a single mistake while driving the car! As you can see from my reaction, myself and the entire crew were in shock.”
Emerson praised Newton-John for her treatment of the vintage Volkswagen Beetle he let her drive, given her declining health at the time. (Emma McIntyre/Getty Images)
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In a second video, Newton-John explains why she chose the VW Bug: ” [running] Around Malibu.”
Emerson told E!: “It was interesting to hear her say that this was about the biggest car she could afford new at the time. It gives a real sense of who she is that her fans haven’t seen before.”
He added: “What was amazing about my aunt was that, although she was obviously wealthy, she was never the type to flaunt her success through material gain. Instead, she was intentionally modest in many material aspects of her life. She had no private jets, no yachts, no ridiculous cars that screamed, ‘Look at me.'”
Newton-John’s nephew also noted that she was “not the kind of person to flaunt her success through material gain.” (Robin Beck)
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The 46-year-old ended his video comments by thanking his aunt, saying she “was a huge moral support to me when I was a racing driver and I know more than anything she would want me to pick up where I left off all those years ago.”
Newton-John died in 2022 at the age of 73 after a long battle with breast cancer.
Newton-John passed away in 2022 after a long battle with breast cancer. (Photo: Michael LoCcisano/Getty Images)
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“For over 30 years, Olivia has been a symbol of victory and hope as she shared her journey with breast cancer,” her family shared in an Instagram post at the time.
