Did Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta Ever Date in Real Life?
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John delighted viewers with their chemistry in the 1978 movie Grease, but did the two stars ever date in real life? Here’s what the actors have said about their relationship.
John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John had explosive chemistry on the set of ‘Grease’
Fans adored the connection between Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta in the wildly popular movie Grease. Travolta portrayed bad-boy Danny Zuko perfectly, and Newton-John won a People’s Choice Award for her role as good-girl Sandy Olsson. Many fans loved the on-screen couple so much that they rooted for the two stars to get together in real life.
In December 2019, Travolta revealed that the chemistry fans saw on screen during Grease was very real. He and Newton-John were participating in a Q&A session, where they were asked if there was ever sexual tension between them on set. Travolta did not hesitate before answering, “Yes!”
“I think you saw that in ‘You’re the One That I Want,’” he continued, referencing the iconic love song Danny and Sandy performed at the end of Grease. “There’s almost resolve [of] that tension right there.”
Did Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta date in real life?
Although John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John had undeniable on-screen chemistry and admitted to feeling sexual tension in real life, the two stars maintain that they have never dated.
In a 2018 episode of the No Filter podcast, Newton-John said that the timing was never right for them to become anything more than friends. “We were both with other people when we were filming and I think, respectfully, it just didn’t happen,” she said (via Radar Online).
“I think it was good because I think it kept the tension there and the chemistry,” Newton-John continued. “It might have been a real disaster had we decided to date or we had a falling out or something. So I think it was just as well that it didn’t happen. But we’re still great friends.”
Grease came out in 1978. Travolta was in a relationship with actor Diana Hyland (his co-star in the 1976 movie The Boy in the Plastic Bubble) until she died of breast cancer in March 1977, just a few months before Grease began filming.
Newton-John dated British businessman Lee Kramer, who became her boyfriend and manager, from 1973 to 1979, so they were together throughout the filming of Grease.
The actor posted a heartfelt tribute to his ‘Grease’ co-star after her death
On Aug. 8, Olivia Newton-John’s husband, John Easterling, shared via the actor’s Instagram that the Grease star had died at age 73. Although Easterling did not give a specific cause in his statement, he cited the breast cancer diagnosis Newton-John had lived with since 1992.
Hours after the announcement, John Travolta shared an Instagram photo of Newton-John with a touching caption. “My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better,” he wrote. “Your impact was incredible. I love you so much. We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever!”
He concluded the sweet tribute by signing off, “Your Danny, your John!”
