'Grease' star Olivia Newton-John says she 'doesn't want to know' how long she has left in cancer battle

Actress Olivia Newton-John has said that she has no interest in knowing how long she has left to live as she battles breast cancer.

The star of Grease, who is now fighting cancer for a third time, says that it can be psychologically detrimental to know life expectancy.

Speaking to 60 Minutes, she said: “I’m so lucky that I’ve been through this three times and I’m still here. I’m living with it.

Read more: Olivia Newton-John auctioning Grease outfit for charity

“When you're given a cancer diagnosis or a scary illness diagnosis, you are suddenly given a possibility of a time limit.

“I don't read statistics. If you believe the statistics, you're going to make them happen. If somebody tells you, 'you have six months to live', very possibly you will - because you believe that.”

Newton-John is fighting stage four breast cancer, with chances of a cure now being very slim.

She was first diagnosed in 1992, and had been in remission ever since, but the cancer returned in 2013, and then again in 2017, when it spread to her bones and spine.

Newton-John also recently revealed that she had been using cannabis that her husband grows to treat her symptoms.

She added: “I really believe the cannabis has made a huge difference. If I don’t take the drops I can feel the pain, so I know it’s working.

“I see it as something in my body that I’m getting rid of.

“I don’t talk about a battle or a war because I think that sets up that kind of feeling in your body of you’re bottling something strange inside you. I let it go.

“I’m so lucky that I’ve been through this three times and I’m still here. I’m living with it. Every day is a gift now, particularly now.”

The actress, who shot to fame in the 1978 musical Grease opposite John Travolta, and later found fame as a singer, is auctioning some of her memorabilia, including her leather jacket and trousers from the movie musical, in November.

The money raised will go to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre in Melbourne, Australia, her hometown, which provides cancer treatment and education.