JOHN TRAVOLTA
THE STAR COUPLE KNOW THE SECRET TO A LONG, HAPPY UNION: JUST DANCE!
The actor shares the secret to his 26 years of wedded bliss with wife Kelly Preston — dancing!
More than 40 years since he strutted down a Brooklyn street in Saturday Night Fever, John Travolta returned to Bensonhurst recently wearing a white suit jacket that would have done his character Tony Manero proud. At the “John Travolta Day” celebration, John and his wife, actress Kelly Preston, greeted fans, posed for pictures and danced to the Bee Gees. “They looked very happy,” noted an onlooker.
It wasn’t just a show for the crowd. John, 64, and Kelly, 55, have a solid, happy union. The couple, who met while filming 1989’s The Experts and married in 1991, have never let their romance falter, even in hard times. “A relationship doesn’t just happen,” Kelly confides to Closer. “You’ve got to work at it — keep it honest and communicate — and you’ve got to keep it fun.”
For John and Kelly, that means taking pleasure in working together. The pair currently star as real-life couple John and Victoria Gotti in the newly released mafia drama Gotti. “I loved working with my hubby. We have done it several times, but this one was the most fun because we play husband and wife who are completely different from us,” says Kelly, who appreciated being able to practice her lines with John over breakfast. “The great thing is that you have a rehearsing partner at home! We’d go in and out of these characters, and that is so fun.”
ART IMITATES LIFE
Kelly and John also leaned on each other when the Gotti storyline became too real. Filming the scenes about the Gottis’ heartbreak over the death of their 12-year-old son, Frank, in a car accident forced the actors to emotionally relive the dark days after their 16-year-old son, Jett, died from a seizure in 2009. “Every person grieves differently,” John admits to Closer. “We explore this human side, and that was very identifiable to me.”
That’s no surprise. John and Kelly dote on their children: Ella, 18, an aspiring actress who co-stars with her dad in the upcoming The Poison Rose, and son Benjamin, 7. “Acting is Ella’s dream and she’s loving it,” says Kelly, who, along with John, nurtures their children’s creativity. “We have a little theater in one of our houses that we use to do fun plays and skits and just be goofy,” she relates. Naturally, the whole Travolta family loves to dance, too. “We do it all the time,” says Kelly.
Life can get difficult — even for a couple as blessed as John and Kelly — but as long as they have each other, they will always be in step. “I love dancing with my husband,” gushes Kelly. “And he said I am the best dancer he’s partnered with!”