Olivia Newton-John opens up about ex-boyfriend’s ‘faked death,’ disappearance

Actress Olivia Newton-John is still uncertain that her ex-boyfriend, Patrick McDermott, faked his own death and started a new life in Mexico.

In March of this year, tabloids and celebrity gossip sites revisited the story after private investigator Philip Klein gave an interview to Australian magazine Woman’s Day. McDermott disappeared 11 years ago after heading out to sea on a fishing boat, and Klein asserts that he’s alive and well south of the American border.

McDermott, who was last seen June 30, 2005 on the boat near San Pedro, Calif., is now living in a small village near Puerto Vallarta, says Klein.

READ MORE: Olivia Newton-John’s boyfriend, believed dead 11 years ago, found alive

At the time of his disappearance, there was much speculation that McDermott faked his own death to escape financial ruin. He had filed for bankruptcy just before he went missing and owed over $30,000 in debt.

Klein denies this claim, instead saying that McDermott sought to escape the “drama” of his relationship with Newton-John.

“His lawyer called from Mexico City and said that Patrick didn’t want to be bothered. He hadn’t faked anything. He just wanted to get away from the drama,” Klein told Woman’s Day.

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Now Newton-John, 68, is speaking out about the events surrounding McDermott’s disappearance.

“But, I live on,” she continued. “And of course questions come up, always, it’s human.”

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For the most part, Newton-John seems to have moved on from McDermott; she married natural-health businessman John Easterling in 2008.

According to the investigator, McDermott has settled down in Mexico with a European girlfriend.

Klein, working on behalf of investigative show Dateline, ended his search for McDermott in 2009 after receiving a letter from McDermott’s lawyer.

“Pat has asked that I portray to you his innocence,” the letter read. “Pat has committed no crime. Pat simply wishes to be left alone. Let him live his life in peace and harmony. He is safe and has started anew again in a new place both physically and mentally. Stop this search immediately.”