Inside John Travolta And Kelly Preston's Relationship
Sadly, Kelly Preston lost her two-year battle with breast cancer on July 12, 2020 at 57 years old. A family representative told People, "Choosing to keep her fight private, she had been undergoing medical treatment for some time, supported by her closest family and friends. She was a bright, beautiful and loving soul who cared deeply about others and who brought life to everything she touched. Her family asks for your understanding of their need for privacy at this time."
Soon after, Preston's husband John Travolta shared an emotional tribute on Instagram, writing, "She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many. My family and I will forever be grateful to her doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center, all the medical centers that have helped, as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side. Kelly's love and life will always be remembered."
In addition to thanking everyone who's supported the family, the Grease actor explained, "I will be taking some time to be there for my children who have lost their mother, so forgive me in advance if you don't hear from us for a while. But please know that I will feel your outpouring of love in the weeks and months ahead as we heal." It goes without saying that this is absolutely devastating news for Travolta and the rest of their family members and friends, but the couple had decades of special memories with each other.
John Travolta felt love at first sight, but Kelly Preston needed some time
John Travolta and Kelly Preston discovered the chemistry between the two of them during a screen test for their 1989 movie The Experts. Travolta was instantly into her, but Preston was married to Kevin Gage when they met. In a 2018 Us Weekly interview, Travolta recalled, "She came in this, this gorgeous woman. We had an immediate chemistry." Since he knew she was married, he said, "I remember she was going down the steps. And I was on top, and I said, 'May I ask you a question?' and she said, 'Yes,' and I said, 'What's it like to be married? Is it a good thing?'" Travolta shared, "She said, 'I love it,' and I thought, 'Wow, wouldn't it be great to be married to someone who loves being married?'"
Even though she wasn't single at the time, Preston couldn't help finding him attractive too, explaining, "I see, no lie, coming across the hall with his two dogs, this really hot guy. Then he stops and says hello. And I was like, 'Oh s**t. Kill me now.' You know, like, 'Oh my God.' And that was my first meeting with him." When Andy Cohen asked if she felt it was love at first sight during a Watch What Happens Live interview, she said, "Kinda," before elaborating, "Well, I was not that happily married. Let's put it that way. I was really with the wrong person."
The couple had three children together
John Travolta popped the question to Kelly Preston on New Year's Eve 1991 in Switzerland. They got married in September 1991... two different times. During a 2018 Live With Kelly and Ryan appearance, Preston recalled, "We were going to have a huge wedding in New York and there were all of these plans and people were like, 'Where am I going to sit and all of this stuff.' Ultimately, she felt 'the wedding got so big and crazy and I thought, once the florist's assistant got an assistant, I was done.' She shared, "We ran away, eloped, and went to Paris." However, that wedding wasn't actually legal since neither of them were Paris residents, so they tied the knot officially on U.S. soil.
Their son Jett Travolta was born in 1992. They were a family of three until April 2000 when Travolta and Preston welcomed their daughter Ella Bleu Travolta. That same year, the couple collaborated on their second film, Battlefield Earth. In 2009, Jett died after hitting his head on a bathtub and having a seizure in the Bahamas. In 2014, Travolta admitted, "The truth is, I didn't know if I was going to make it. Life was no longer interesting to me, so it took a lot to get me better." The couple's third child, Benjamin, was born in November 2010 and the Saturday Night Fever star told People, "He's given the house a renewed spirit and purpose."
John Travolta and Kelly Preston were married for over 28 years
In September 2019, Kelly Preston and John Travolta celebrated their 28th wedding anniversary. In an Instagram tribute, she described him as "the most wonderful man I know." She wrote, "You have given me hope when I have felt lost, loved me patiently and unconditionally... made me laugh harder than any other human being possible... shared the most beautiful highs and at times lows. You're a dream Daddio and make life so much fun!!" The actress declared, "I trust my love with you implicitly... with you I know I will always be okay no matter what happens... I love you forever and completely."
The couple didn't just gush over each other on social media. In 2018, Andy Cohen asked her to name "the best and worst thing about being married to John Travolta." In response, she said, "There's too many 'best things,' his lips, his dancing, fun, laughing." She shared that they danced together "all the time" in addition to describing him as "the nicest guy you've ever met" and the "the sweetest."
Preston and Travolta's decades-long love story sounds like one that he, their loved ones, and fans will treasure forever.