Olivia Newton-John wept during an interview with Austrailian network Nine as she told of coming to terms with the disappearance of her long term boyfriend Patrick McDermott.

McDermott failed to return from an overnight fishing trip off the Californian coast on June 30th this year, and though police have thoroughly investigated the case, including the possibility that it was staged, they have not come up with any leads on the 48-year-old .

Newton-John talked about how initially she felt that she would never sing again, but now it is helping her cope with accepting her boyfriend's fate. "I didn't feel like singing and I didn't think I would ever sing again. The thought of it was terrifying to me," she said. "Singing is a part of me and it's my soul. It's how I can express myself and move through it. Music is a very healing thing."

She is moving on, but sometimes feels overwhelmed by the emotions: "Things like this come in waves. Anyone who has gone through loss or a painful experience knows that. You think you're coping, then you hit a wall or a wave and you go down and come up again. The pain is there and you feel it ... and there is no escape."

The singer is set to tour New Zealand and Australia in March next year.