Olivia Newton-John Addresses Reports That Missing Former Boyfriend Patrick McDermott Faked Death

Olivia Newton-John still doesn’t know what happened when her former boyfriend Patrick McDermott disappeared more than a decade ago.

Olivia Newton-John On Patrick McDermott

Newton-John had been dating McDermott for nearly 10 years when he vanished after going on a fishing trip in 2005. “It was very hard, he was lost at sea and nobody really knows what happened,” Newton-John, 68, told Australia’s 60 Minutes.

Two months after Newton-John reported McDermott missing – during which time investigators launched an exhaustive search – it was suspected that the cameraman had faked his own death and that he was likely living in Mexico.

Evidence that pointed to McDermott faking his own death included the fact that he had filed for bankruptcy shortly before going missing. At the time, he had unpaid debts in excess of $30,000. Further evidence included a withdrawal of his life savings from two separate bank accounts, and the request of a second passport in his birth name, Patrick Kim.

Back in March, more conclusive evidence pointed to McDermott setting up a new life in Mexico.

“It’s rumored he was with a German national. I spoke to people there. The girl he was traveling with was described as having a German accent,” investigator John Nazarian told Women’s Day at the time. 

As for the theories about McDermott’s new life, Newton-John admitted, “It’s human to wonder. But you know, those are the things in life you have to accept and let go. Because whenever you go through difficult times, there’s always those concerns.”

Newton-John added, “But, I live on. And of course questions come up, always, it’s human.”