How Olivia Newton-John helped Delta Goodrem through cancer

Delta Goodrem has revealed how Olivia Newton-John helped her through her cancer diagnosis when she was just 18.

Delta, now 34, first met Olivia, 70, as a child when she spent a lot of time hanging around backstage at various events.

And when she was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2003 at age 18, she was surprised to receive a “beautiful letter” from the iconic singer, who had been diagnosed with breast cancer several years earlier.

“She sent me a letter when I got diagnosed with cancer and she said beautiful words and told me that, ‘One day, you’ll see this is a gift and understand to give back and let people know you can be a tower of strength,'” Delta – who played the Grease star in the biopic Olivia Newton-John: Hopelessly Devoted to You – told People.

“Then we ended up writing songs together for her album and for her charity [so] that was the start of our friendship.”

The ‘Born To Try’ hitmaker even got a call from Sir Elton John on her first day of chemotherapy, who told her the whole of Britain hoped she got “better”.

Olivia, meanwhile, has since been diagnosed with breast cancer a further two times and is currently on the road to recovery following her third diagnosis.

“The fact that she’s, right now, on the road to recovery and she’s staying on schedule and she’s coming back with a book tour in March is incredible,” Delta said.

“She’s so positive and stands there as a warrior.”

Got a story tip? Send it to lifestyle.tips@verizonmedia.com

Want more lifestyle and celebrity news? Follow Yahoo Lifestyle on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

Or sign up to our daily newsletter here.