Australian radio presenter Jackie ‘O’ Henderson broke down in tears on The Kyle and Jackie O Show while discussing the death of Olivia Newton-John.

The iconic singer and Grease star died peacefully at the age of 73 at her ranch in Southern California on Monday (August 8), as confirmed by her husband John Easterling.

Henderson was highly emotional as she reacted to the sad news, telling co-host Kyle Sandilands: “She literally was my idol growing up.

“Every single day I would be in my bedroom and I’d dress up as her and I’d pretend I was her, and I lived for her.”

She continued: “I was watching a video of her – it was only two days ago – and I thought, ‘Jeez it’ll be a sad day when Olivia Newton-John dies’. And here we are. It’s so upsetting.”

Newsreader Brooklyn Ross admitted that he almost teared up while reading the headlines about Newton-John’s passing, as Henderson added:”She’s so beautiful, inside and out. She’s always been a wonderful ambassador for Australia and she does a lot for charity.”

Australian TV presenter Richard “Dickie” Wilkins, who was a long-time friend of Newton-John, also shared an emotional response to news.

After watching a past interview between himself and the late star, a tearful Wilkins had to be comforted by co-host Karl Stefanovic.

‘Dickie, I’m so sorry for your loss,’ said Stefanovic, to which Wilkins replied: “It’s our loss. The world has lost a beautiful human being today.”

Newton-John was first diagnosed with breast cancer in 1992 before going into remission. However, in 2017, she announced that her cancer had returned ahead of a concert tour.

Over the course of her music career, she won four Grammys, including Best Female Country Vocal Performance for single ‘Let Me Be There’ and Record Of The Year for ‘I Honestly Love You’ in 1974.

Some of her other notable tracks include ‘Physical’, ‘Let Me Be There’, ‘If You Love Me’ and her cover of Bob Dylan’s ‘If Not For You’.

However, she was perhaps best-known for her role as Sandy Olsson in 1978 musical Grease, starring opposite John Travolta.

Travolta, who played Danny Zuko in the musical, paid tribute to the star on Instagram, writing: “My dearest Olivia, you made all of our lives so much better. Your impact was incredible. I love you so much.

“We will see you down the road and we will all be together again. Yours from the first moment I saw you and forever! Your Danny, your John!”