Olivia Newton-John to trek China's Great Wall

SYDNEY (Reuters) - Singer-actress Olivia Newton-John plans to walk along the Great Wall of China to raise money for a cancer charity, with celebrities from around the world planning to join the trek, she told reporters on Tuesday.

Newton-John, who survived breast cancer in the 1990s, plans to walk the 228 km (141 mile) distance over 21 days, starting on April 7, ending her trip in Beijing.

"I think it is going to be mind-blowingly exciting to see the place and to know that we are doing something that we will never do in a lifetime again. This is a lifetime experience," Newton-John said.

Among those Newton-John said had committed to walk at least part of the trek are Britain's pop singer Sir Cliff Richard, actress Jane Seymour, American comedian Joan Rivers and American television host Leeza Gibbons.

The trek, known as the Great Walk to Beijing, aims to raise money for a cancer research and treatment centre in Newton-John's Australian hometown of Melbourne.

Newton-John, who was born in Britain but raised in Australia, shot to international stardom in the 1970s with a string of hit songs in the United States and a co-starring role with John Travolta in the 1978 movie "Grease."

Reuters/Nielsen