John Travolta Opens Up About Loss Nearly 1 Year After His Wife’s Death

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As the first anniversary of Kelly Preston’s death approaches, John Travolta has opened up about how he copes with loss. 

Travolta and Preston married in 1991 and welcomed three children together. Unfortunately, Travolta’s wife passed away in July 2020 after a two-year battle with breast cancer. The Grease star confirmed the tragic news in an Instagram post. He stated: 

“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.”

 

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In a translated interview, Travolta told Esquire Spain that he feels grief and mourning is a “personal” process that can be different for each person. 

“The most important thing you can do to help another when they are in mourning is to allow them to live it and not complicate it with yours,” the actor explained. 

Travolta also stated that other people’s emotions do “not leave enough space for you to mourn,” and the star feels that grief should be handled alone.

“Otherwise, it will be two boats plummeting to the bottom. That is my experience,” he stated. “Because even though it’s great to have company, sometimes it becomes like you’re helping them, rather than putting yourself to work overcoming feelings of loss and grief.”

The 67-year-old also revealed that many people tried to comfort him after Kelly’s death, but the attempts did not help him.

 

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“I felt so saturated with everyone’s sadness that I didn’t know what to do,” the actor explained. 

Despite having experienced the deepest corners of grief, Travolta admits that his priority is to find the “joy” in life with his two children, Ella, 21, and Ben, 10. The actor also admitted that he feels happy when dancing or listening to music.

 

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For more on Travolta and Preston, check out the following video.