Kelly Preston Dies — A Look Back At Her 28-Year Marriage And Romance With John Travolta

Jul 14, 2020 by apost team

Actress Kelly Preston, known for her roles in the films Twins (1988) and Jerry Maguire (1996), died on Sunday in Florida at the age of 57 after a long battle with breast cancer. Preston is survived by her children Ella, 20, and Benjamin, 9, along with her husband, the award-winning actor John Travolta, 66.

Ever since Preston and Travolta met on set for the first time in 1988, the couple has been close, remaining married for over 28 years.

According to CNN, the two stars met on the set of the 1988 film Experts where the two had danced together. At the time, Preston was still married to her first husband, Kevin Gage, but that didn’t stop her from falling in love with Travolta as she explained in a 2018 interview. As Preston describes it, it was “kinda” love it first sight, especially given that she wasn’t happy with her first husband. 

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Surprisingly, however, it took Preston and Travolta a couple of years before they would properly reunite. After Preston divorced Gage, she tried dating in Hollywood, pairing up with George Clooney followed by a brief romance with Charlie Sheen, as People reports. But eventually, Preston found her way back to Travolta and the two began dating in 1990. A year later, the two would marry in Paris in a spontaneous romantic getaway, according to CNN.

Shortly thereafter, the newlyweds would welcome their first child, Jett, who was tragically diagnosed with Kawasaki Syndrome at 2 years old, according to People. Jett’s birth in the early ‘90s was followed by daughter Ella Bleu, and around a decade later, that was followed by the birth of another boy, Benjamin, in 2010. Unfortunately, tragedy struck the Travolta family when 16-year-old Jett passed away unexpectedly before Benjamin’s birth in 2009.

But despite the family’s hardships — Jett’s tragic passing and Preston’s battle with cancer — Travolta and Preston would often focus on the family’s positives along with their strong relationship with each other.

"I think that we were just right together, that we picked the right people and keeping it honest and communicating and checking in with each other,” Preston said of the relationship in 2018. "A relationship doesn't just happen," she continued. "You have to work at it. You've got to keep it fun and that's what we do."

But after almost three decades together, Travolta had to say goodbye to his wife who had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2018. In an emotional Instagram post over the weekend, Travolta wrote, “It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that my beautiful wife Kelly has lost her two-year battle with breast cancer. She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many.”

“Kelly’s love and life will always be remembered,” he continued. “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.” 

Our thoughts are with the Travolta family. What do you think of Travolta and Preston's nearly 3-decade-long marriage together? Did you know they had been through so much together? Let us know and pass this story on to friends and family members.