Australian television icon Patti Newton has opened up about the heartbreaking promise she made to her late husband Bert Newton in the moments after his death, a vow she says helped carry her through unimaginable grief.
Appearing on The Morning Show, the beloved entertainer became emotional as she recalled the night Bert died in 2021 after decades together as one of Australia’s most adored showbusiness couples.
Patti revealed she had spent the day at Bert’s hospital bedside before heading home shortly after 7pm, only to receive a devastating phone call moments later.
“I drove home, and at twenty past seven, I got a call to say he’s taken his last breath, you’ll have to come back. So I did, but I don’t think he wanted me there,” she said.
In the midst of her grief, Patti said she made a quiet but powerful promise to her husband – that she would keep living for the family they built together.
“I made him a promise that I would continue to live on, and with this beautiful daughter of mine and all the grandchildren I had lovely reasons to do that, and that’s what I did,” she said.
Now 81, Patti said her children and grandchildren became her reason to keep moving forward after losing the man she shared almost 50 years of marriage with.
Despite the heartbreak, she believes Bert still watches over her, even joking that the stage opportunities she received after his passing — including roles in Grease and Mary Poppins — may have somehow been sent by him.
The veteran performer also showed the humour Australians have long loved her for, revealing she is eager to return to performing after recently undergoing a hip replacement.
“I’ve had the hip replacement, I’m ready to go,” she laughed.
Patti fondly reflected on the friendships she formed while appearing in Grease in 2024, including her close bond with Marcia Hines and Jay Laga’aia.
“When you’re 81, you don’t need to have any more friends, but Marcia Hines was in Grease, and she and I have become such wonderful friends, and she protects me all the time, and checks on me and makes sure I’m OK,” Patti said.
“We were like the three musketeers.”
In a moving end to the interview, Patti reflected on what she called her “wonderful life” before adding one final joke, cheekily inviting host Larry Emdur to attend and sing at her funeral when the time eventually comes.
Even through loss, Patti’s warmth, humour and strength continue to shine, just as Bert would have hoped.
Images: Instagram, The Today Show
