‘What Kelly would have wanted’: John Travolta’s grief and why he’s finally ready to let Ella go

Nearly six years after losing his wife Kelly Preston to breast cancer, John Travolta is finally ready to move forward – and it’s daughter Ella Bleu who is helping get him there. 

The 72-year-old Hollywood icon has poured his heart into Propeller One-Way Night Coach, his semi-autobiographical directorial debut, which he dedicated to Kelly and their late son Jett, who died in 2009 at just 16 years old. “They are the model from which this film was born,” he told Italian newspaper La Repubblica.

But it’s what happened behind the camera that may have meant the most. Working side by side with Ella, now 26, on the film has been just as significant as the project itself. 

“A lot of it has to do with Ella’s encouragement, but John’s finally ready to move forward and it’s still not easy to do,” an inside source reveals to Woman’s Day. “Even though he’s no stranger to grief and its unpredictable grip on life, doing this movie, surrounded by his loved ones, has felt like a kind of closure. He’ll never get over Kelly and no woman could ever replace her, but making this film was kind of a tribute to a beautiful time in his life when he and Kelly would be reading to the kids, tucking them into bed.”

The film – based on John’s own 1997 children’s novella about his first-ever flight – debuted to four standing ovations at Cannes in May, where he was surprised with an honorary Palme d’Or. It has since hit No. 1 on Apple TV’s top 10 films.

For John, though, the real triumph is personal. Having raised Ella largely alone since Kelly’s passing, the famously protective father is now learning to let go.

“It’s been a challenge raising a young teenage girl without her mum, but John should be proud of how she’s turned out,” the source tells us. “Ella’s been a key part of this. John’s the first to admit he’s been rigidly strict with her, desperate to keep her safe and struggling with her wanting her independence now she’s a young adult. This film had them working side by side and she earned his respect as an equal. She’s got the same grit and determination her mum had and it’s given him the courage to not only move forward but set Ella free and see what she can do.”

For a father who sees so much of his late wife in his daughter every day, it’s a bittersweet but beautiful turning point. “Ella looks so much like her mum – it’s very hard for John to not take her seriously. Letting her get on with her life and giving her a boost along the way is what Kelly would have wanted.”