London - As the daughter of a Hollywood actress, she was born into privilege.
But for Chloe Lattanzi the “immense pressure” of being Olivia Newton-John’s daughter was too much to bear. And she blames the Grease star’s fame for her four-year drink and drugs battle.
Speaking for the first time about the devastating cocaine and vodka binges that have plagued her last few years, the 27-year-old singer admitted there were times when she feared she was going to have a heart attack and die.
Lattanzi described how as a teenager she developed mental health problems, including anorexia, anxiety and depression.
“Growing up I was under immense pressure being the daughter of such a famous woman,” she said.
“You don’t have a normal childhood and you don’t have that space to make mistakes and find your feet, as everyone is watching you.
“I started to get into the party scene, drinking every night, and then before long I got introduced to cocaine and all of a sudden, the combination of those things took away all the fear and depression and that is when the cycle began.”
Lattanzi, who was forced to postpone her marriage to jiu-jitsu instructor James Driskill because of her addiction, is the daughter of Newton-John, 64, and her first husband, actor Matt Lattanzi.
Newton-John, who is now married to John Easterling, began her career as a singer and has won four Grammy awards.
But she became a Hollywood star when she played Sandy in the film of Grease alongside John Travolta.
Lattanzi is her only child.
Newton-John, who was born in England but grew up in Australia, lives in Florida. At the age of 23, Lattanzi moved to Los Angeles, where she fell into a damaging routine of drinking a bottle of vodka per day and spending around £100 (about R1 500) on drugs every two days.
And she admitted that when her parents visited her to intervene she would sneak out of her window at night.
She told the magazine Woman’s Day in Australia: “I was using most days and nights. And not only was I doing coke, I was drinking vodka heavily also. I had to combine the two.
“I was so out of it during this time I don’t even remember waking up most mornings. I’m honestly surprised I did not have a heart attack.”
Lattanzi, who first appeared in a TV soap aged seven and launched a singing career in 2010, came under scrutiny two years ago after releasing a music video in which she appeared to simulate drug taking and self-harm.
At the time, she denied there was a problem, insisting the video had “artistic value”. She said she was fed up of people “getting all preachy and all this b*******”.
But last September she broke down and confided “a year of bottled up pain” to her mother.
She checked into a Californian rehab clinic where she stayed for seven months, having five hours of therapy per day. Now clean, she is preparing to star in a film next year and is hoping finally to marry Driskill. - Daily Mail