Bombshell biography claims Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta were romantically involved during Grease

For years, the question followed them everywhere. Their on-screen chemistry, iconic premiere kiss, and hand-holding during TV appearances frequently prompted fans to ask: were Olivia Newton-John and John Travolta ever actually together?

Both always said no, claiming they were good friends, it was wrong timing, and nothing happened. But a bombshell new biography now suggests otherwise.

According to the Daily Mail, A Little More Love: The Life and Legacy of Olivia Newton-John by Matthew Hild claims the pair were romantically involved while filming Grease, and that Olivia went as far as contemplating marriage.

What reportedly gave her pause was John’s commitment to Scientology, with John converting to the faith in 1975, aged 21, and remaining one of its most prominent members today.

More than two decades after Grease wrapped, Olivia quietly asked a musician in her band – who had previously been married to a Scientologist – whether she would have been expected to join the church.

According to Matthew, the answer was: “It would not have been mandatory, but it would have been encouraged, put it that way.”

“Thank you,” Olivia reportedly replied. “That’s all I want to know.”

Their chemistry on set was something neither of them disputed. Olivia wrote in her own 2019 memoir Don’t Stop Believin that the moment they walked into a room together, “it was magic, and everyone saw it.” 

She said they chose not to pursue it – both were in relationships at the time, and both, she wrote, had “a loyalty streak that runs deep.”

Co-star Didi Conn, who played Frenchy, was more direct. “Oh yeah, he fancied her,” she previously told the Daily Mail. She also pointed to the film’s final scene, where John gave Olivia an unscripted kiss. “They weren’t acting in that moment,” Didi said. “It was real. It really was.”

John addressed the relationship directly in a passage written for Olivia’s memoir. “It almost happened between us a few times, but it didn’t,” he wrote. “Sometimes life just offers you the wrong timing. We had to leave it as dear friends.”

Both went on to marry other people. Olivia wed actor Matt Lattanzi in 1984, though they divorced in 1995, and she later married businessman John Easterling and remained with him until her death in August 2022, aged 73. Meanwhile, John married actress Kelly Preston in 1991, who tragically died in 2020.

The two stayed close throughout. They reunited on screen in 1983 for Two of a Kind, recorded a Christmas single together in the early 2000s, and kept in regular contact over the decades.

In 2016, John recalled pushing hard for Olivia to be cast in Grease. “I never let up on it,” he said. “I insisted that she be met, and that we cast her.”