Beloved entertainer Patti Newton has found solace and a renewed connection to her late husband, Bert Newton, through her latest role on stage, in a touching testament to the enduring power of the love that the couple shared.
The nation mourned the loss of the legendary entertainer in 2022, leaving Patti, his wife of 47 years, and their family devastated. Bert was an iconic figure in Australian showbiz, and his absence left a void not just in the entertainment world but also in Patti’s heart.
Now in a recent interview with Perth’s 6PR, Patti has opened up about how her role as the Bird Woman in the musical Mary Poppins has given her a newfound sense of closeness to her late husband.
“I love a lot of musical theatre and Bert’s done some fabulous shows, he and I did a couple together and musical theatre is something that gets in your blood,” she said.
“When I was offered this role, it wasn’t long after Bert passed and I was very lost and didn’t quite know what I was going to do.
“Then this came and I thought to myself, ‘I think Bert sent this to me’ because it’s come straight from heaven, it’s a beautiful role.”
Patti also recounted a touching anecdote about Bert’s kind gesture towards a co-star during his own theatre days.
“I know now why Bert loved theatre. Since he passed, I’ve heard so many wonderful stories about things that he did for people,” Patti said.
“He was doing a show called The Producers and one of the girls that’s in Mary Poppins now, Lisa, said she was going off to America and she was going to see if she could see The Producers in America before she came home.
“And the next day there were two tickets on her dressing table, by Bert, front row dress circle.”
Patti was recently honoured with a Walk of Fame star at the Adelaide Festival Centre, a tribute not only to her stellar career but also echoing the recognition bestowed on her late husband years earlier.
The popular Australian singer, actor, dancer, and radio and television presenter, was honoured with her own star on the Adelaide Festival Centre’s Walk of Fame for her role iconic production of Mary Poppins.
“It’s an absolute honour for me to receive this star, I think it’s wonderful and I feel very privileged and grateful to be receiving this award,” she said.
“I think Bert would be extremely happy about it, knowing that he already had a star, and he’d love the fact that we’re both together too and that’s how we will always stay.”
Patti’s late and beloved husband also has a star on the Walk of Fame for his performance in The Sound of Music at Festival Theatre in 2001.
Bert passed away on October 30, 2021, at age 83 after a long health battle, he was undergoing palliative care at a private clinic in Melbourne when he died. Both the Australian public and the entertainment world mourned the showbiz legend during a state funeral in mid-November 2021.