Richard Wilkins has shared a touching private message from Olivia Newton-John’s daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, following the entertainment editor’s breakdown over the star’s death on yesterday’s episode of Today.
WATCH: Chloe Lattanzi pays tribute to her mother Olivia Newton-John
“Chloe Lattanzi, Olivia’s daughter, sent me a beautiful message earlier today, which I played and cried again,” Richard revealed on Wednesday as he once again held back tears.
“And I said to her, ‘I would never do it without your permission. Would you like me to share your beautiful message with her many friends and fans on-air?’ And she said, ‘Yes, please. Tell them how much their love is helping me cope. I want to be a link for them. Give light, give thanks, gratitude. I’m holding you in my heart.'”
Richard proceeded to play the sweet message on air, which said, “Hi, Richard. This is Chloe. I just saw your beautiful tribute to my mummy and I just wanted to hold you.
“I saw how much you loved her and I just want you to know that she’s free now and she’s out of pain and all the family’s here together and she’s making the sunshine and the dogs are running around and barking and the horses are galloping.
Chloe continued as her voice began to break, “I just want you to know that she’s free from pain now and she fought so hard and I was with her every step of the way.
“I just felt your love and I want you to know mummy and I both cared about you – care about you so much. I love you, my friend. Thank you for doing that.”
The touching voicemail from Olivia’s beloved daughter comes one day after Richard became emotional as he remembered his dear friend amid her death, culminating in him breaking down in tears on the show as Karl Stefanovic consoled him.
“I was just sort of numb,” Wilkins told hosts Karl and Ally on Tuesday upon receiving the early morning phone call that delivered the sad news.
“You know, all the dates and facts and figures and things just disappear and I just felt completely, just completely numb.
“I didn’t really know what to think.”
WATCH: Richard Wilkins breaks down remembering Olivia Newton-John
“I grew up listening in New Zealand on my little transistor radio. She was a beautiful, pure voice, she was a great singer,” he said.
“It is our loss. A world has lost a beautiful human being today. We kind of knew this day was coming, but hoped it would be a long way away.”
“I didn’t want to do this,” he said on air as he began to shed a tear.
“It’s alright. It is the depth… There aren’t too many people you can do a Zoom with and feel it.
“She touched everyone, didn’t she? Even through a Zoom call, whether it was someone in a hospital, someone on the boardwalks of Hollywood who didn’t even know her that well, that depth of feeling.
“This woman was extraordinary.”
Karl added, “You are encapsulating the pain everyone is feeling in Australia.”
“This is so personal. I’m still numb,” Richard added.
Richard and Olivia had been close friends for several years, with the pair’s children both appearing in Dancing With The Stars in early 2020.
“We were sitting opposite [each other] and she was tearing up,” Wilkins said.
“Then my boy … I lost it. But we hung out a bit there, and were immensely proud of our kids, of course.”
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