Olivia Newton-John makes red carpet return after breaking pelvis due to stage IV cancer

Olivia Newton-John, 70, who is currently battling cancer, made a triumphant return to the red carpet on Wednesday night.

The ‘Grease’ star, who hasn’t attended a red carpet event in a year, attended the 2019 Industry Dance Awards at Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles where she spoke about breaking a bone in her back due to weakening associated with her metastasized stage IV cancer.

In March this year, Newton-John also fractured her pelvis due to this complication, but appears to have made a recovery as she walked the red carpet unaided in flat shoes.

A guest of honour at the event, she accepted a Lifetime Achievement Award and was also presented with a donation to the Olivia Newton-John Cancer Wellness & Research Centre in Australia, which she founded in 2012.

She was last pictured on the red carpet a year ago today, when she attended the ‘Grease’ 40th anniversary film screening in Los Angeles, US, on 15 August 2018.

"I just want everyone to know, I'm here, I'm doing great," Newton-John told Entertainment Tonight.

READ MORE: Olivia Newton-John denies rumours she's got 'weeks to live'

She added: "I'm doing really well and I'm really healthy."

She also opened up about breaking her sacrum, a triangular-shaped bone at the bottom of the spine.

"It was a challenging year,” she said of the break. “I had to learn to walk again and everything. But I am strong and I am back and I'm feeling good and loving every minute."

Broken bones due to weakening is a known side effect of bone cancer, according to Macmillan Cancer Support.

In an interview with ‘60 Minutes Australia’ earlier this year, she said she is treating “every day as a gift”.

“When you’re given a cancer diagnosis or a scary illness diagnosis, you are suddenly given a possibility of a time limit,” she said.

READ MORE: Olivia Newton-John speaks out about cancer battle

“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 also denied reports she was near death in January this year, sharing a message with her followers on Twitter where she said:

“Happy New Year everyone, this is Olivia Newton-John and I just want to say that the rumours of my death have been greatly exaggerated, to quote a very famous quote.”

Newton-John’s battle with cancer

Newton-John was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 after finding a lump in her breast. She had six months of treatment, including chemotherapy and a partial mastectomy, but did not disclose this publicly.

She battled the disease a second time in 2013, once again keeping her condition a secret.

But in 2017, Newton-John’s cancer returned for a third time. This time it had progressed to Stage IV, and it had metastasized and spread to her bones.

She went public with her condition in 2017, after cancelling her concert dates in order to fight it.

Newton-John is being treated for cancer at her own facility, Olivia Newton-John Cance Cancer Wellness & Research Centre. She has also spoken about taking medicinal cannabis in order to help her deal with the pain.