IS JOHN QUITTING SCIENTOLOGY?
John Travolta caused ripples of concern among his Scientology cohorts last week when it was revealed he’d sold his waterfront property in Clearwater, Florida – the spiritual headquarters of the religion.
The $5.4 million deal has some suggesting that John, 67, is questioning his faith and looking to sever ties with the church after his wife Kelly Preston died aged 57 last year after a secret battle with breast cancer.
But sources close to the sale tell Woman’s Day it’s more about his grief than his beliefs, and the Grease star and his kids Ella, 21, and Ben, 10, are still very much involved with Scientology.
“John’s main base is his property in Ocala, where he has acreage with room to store his airplanes,” says a source. “The place in Clearwater was more Kelly’s. John’s trying to move on with his life and he has no need for that home any more.”
It’s John’s second real estate move since her passing, after listing the couple’s Maine mansion for $6.8 million.
“Holding onto these properties that were so dear to her isn’t helping him heal,’’ says the insider. “But people speculating he’s planning a defection from the church are wide of the mark – he has invested way too much in the church. It’s a huge part of his life – and his healing.”