Many are reeling over the death of Olivia Newton-John — including the woman who was accused of breaking up the actress’ marriage.
For those who don’t know, the Grease star ended her nine-year marriage to Matt Lattanzi in 1995 amid rumors that he had become “close” with the couple’s young babysitter, Cindy Jessup, who was hired to look after Olivia and Matt’s then-7-year-old daughter Chloe.
Two years after his divorce from ONJ, Lattanzi quietly tied the knot with Jessup. The pair were married for 10 years before divorcing in 2007.
Related: Olivia’s Niece Shares Her Final Conversation With The Hollywood Icon
In the years since, Jessup remarried to a transplant surgeon, with whom she shares two children. She currently works as a trainee relationship therapist and masseuse — and she had nothing but wonderful things to say about the actress when asked to comment about Olivia’s death by DailyMail.com.
The now-50-year-old told the outlet:
“The world has lost a true angel. Olivia cared so deeply about people and the planet. She was such a force for goodness, always helping others.”
She’s not wrong about that! Newton-John took the high road on the heels of her split with Lattanzi, which, btw, went down while the Two of a Kind star was battling her first bout with breast cancer.
Related: John Travolta Pens Sweet Tribute To Olivia Newton-John Following Her Passing
When it came to her love life, Olivia proceeded with caution going forward. It wasn’t until 2008 when she exchanged vows with her next husband, John Easterling.
A 2011 biography gave some insight into how the deterioration of her first marriage left a lasting impression on the UK native. It shared:
“Olivia had delayed marrying until the age of thirty-six because she was desperate to get it right after being scarred since the age of ten by her own parents’ divorce. She married Matt full of hope for a lasting union, but after a golden few years where they seemed to live in a perfect world, their marriage had been buffeted by events and circumstances often beyond their control. Inevitably, they had both changed.”
It’s worth nothing that an unnamed friend of Jessup and Lattanzi’s reportedly insisted the pair’s friendship only turned romantic after Olivia and Matt’s marriage had ended. The insider said, per DM:
“It looks bad, because Cindy would often babysit his daughter and she was a friend of his and Olivia’s — but in those days there was no romance.”
Either way, Olivia didn’t make the same mistake twice. The 73-year-old remained happily married to John until she passed away peacefully earlier this week surrounded by friends and family after a 30-year breast cancer battle.
Our hearts continuously go out to the Hollywood icon’s loved ones.
