Patti Newton’s treasured keepsake: The ‘secret’ memento that keeps Bert close

As Patti Newton embarks on her next exciting project, starring in Grease The Musical, the veteran entertainer shared a heartwarming secret that keeps the spirit of her late husband, Bert Newton, alive and well.

In an exclusive interview with Daily Mail Australia, Patti revealed the piece of jewellery that goes with her everywhere in honour of Bert.

“It’s a bit of a secret, but [it says] Bert, and he travels everywhere with me,” she revealed.

“I love it. I feel as though he’s with me.”

Patti went on to share that the necklace is just one of many items she carries with her, each holding a special place in her heart.

“I have quite a few things that I have on me that belonged to Bert,” she explained.

“He’ll always be part of me.”

Later in the interview, Patti reflected on the challenging period after Bert’s passing, she spoke candidly about finding solace in her work.

“When Bert passed I wasn’t too sure how I was coping. When I was asked to do Mary Poppins, that helped me a lot,” she revealed.

“The family all said, ‘Do it. It will be good for you’. I didn’t want to be one of those people who lay in bed with a doona over my head and not get out and not do things.

“Just before [Mary Poppins] finished, [Grease] came into view… I thought these messages are coming loud and clear to me. I’m sure they’re coming from heaven.”

Patti has previously spoken of how she found solace and a renewed connection to her late husband through her role in Mary Poppins.

In a recent interview with Perth’s 6PR, Patti opened up about how her role as the Bird Woman in the musical Mary Poppins gave 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.”

Bert passed away at the age of 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

Born in 1938, Albert Watson Newton quickly discovered his love of entertainment at a young age with his radio debut on 3XY at age 11. He was a full-time announcer at the Melbourne station by the time he was 15. From the early 1960s to the late 1990s he was the face of a number of popular TV shows, including The Late Show, In Melbourne Tonight, The Don Lane Show, New Faces, Ford Superquiz, The Bert Newton Show, and Tonight with Bert Newton.