Channel Seven slammed for 'insensitive' Olivia Newton-John tribute

Lachlan Guertin
·Senior Entertainment Reporter
Updated ·3-min read

Viewers have called out Channel Seven for airing the 2018 miniseries Hopelessly Devoted to You on Tuesday night following the death of Olivia Newton-John at age 73.

The Australian biopic stars Delta Goodrem as the iconic Grease actress and was reportedly created without Olivia’s “consent, participation or knowledge”.

Olivia-Newton John.
Viewers have called out Channel Seven for airing the Olivia Newton-John miniseries on Tuesday night following her death. Photo: Getty

At the time, her daughter Chloe Lattanzi expressed frustration at the telemovie being made despite Olivia’s opposition while she was also battling cancer.

“It made me so angry that additional stress was being put on her at a time when all she really needed to be doing was concentrating all her energy on getting better,” she told Woman’s Day in 2018.

RELATED:

“What's upsetting is the way it's been done. Not one part of it has come directly from our family, it is completely unauthorised. Nobody asked us to take part or consulted us about accuracy.”

Chloe also claimed that Olivia “vowed never to watch” the miniseries, which featured scenes of Delta depicting Olivia’s first breast cancer diagnosis in 1992.

Delta Goodrem as Olivia-Newton John in Hopelessly Devoted to You.
The biopic starred Delta Goodrem and was created without Olivia’s ‘consent, participation or knowledge’. Photo: Channel Seven

‘Insensitive’

Hopelessly Devoted to You was then aired again on Tuesday night after Olivia passed away peacefully in her California home on Monday (local time) after her 30-year-long battle with cancer.

Viewers were quick to take to social media to call out the decision to air the miniseries, with one person tweeting: “I'd rather watch something ACTUALLY starring Olivia, not someone pretending to be her!”

“In the haste to put something on tonight Olivia Newton-John related, Channel Seven miss the mark with the Olivia biopic starring Delta Goodrem,” another added.

“Now why am I watching Delta Goodrem play Olivia Newton-John on TV and not… I don’t know, Olivia Newton-John?” a third wrote.

“Australia doesn't want to see Delta Goodrem as Olivia Newton-John, you insensitive idiots. We want to see the original music featuring Olivia,” someone else remarked.

“No offence but it’s actually so f**ked that Channel Seven is playing that Delta Goodrem biopic that Olivia Newton-John expressly did not consent to or want made but they made anyway against her wishes,” a different user shared.

Delta Goodrem and Olivia-Newton John.
Delta shared a heartfelt tribute to her ‘mentor’ Olivia on social media on Tuesday. Photo: Instagram/deltagoodrem

‘My mentor, my friend, my inspiration’

The outrage comes shortly after Delta Goodrem shared her own tribute to Olivia on social media alongside a gallery of photos together.

“The whole world will feel this heartbreak today because the entire world felt Olivia’s unmatched light,” she wrote on Instagram.

“A force for good. A force of nature. Strong and kind. My mentor, my friend, my inspiration, someone who always guided me… She was always there for me. Family to me.

“I don’t have all the words I would like to say today but I hope everyone will join in celebrating our beloved Olivia, her heart, soul, talent, courage, grace… I love you forever.”

Never miss a thing. Sign up to Yahoo Lifestyle’s daily newsletter.

Or if you have a story idea, email us at lifestyle.tips@yahooinc.com.

Latest stories