John Travolta's Kids 'Want Him to Start Dating' After Kelly Preston's Tragic Death: He's 'Afraid to Be Vulnerable Again'
John Travolta’s kids want to get him back on the dating scene!
According to a source, the actor’s two living children, daughter Ella, 23, and son Ben, 13, hope their dad, 70, can find a companion after their mother, Kelly Preston, tragically died of cancer in 2020.
“Everyone wants him to be happy and fall in love again,” the insider spilled. “Ella and Benjamin want him to start dating, but John is always making excuses. He says they have to come first.”
Kelly — who tied the knot with John in 1991 — passed from b----- cancer at age 57, and the Grease star has refused to rejoin the dating pool since.
“It’s been almost four years since she passed and John still refuses to move on with his life,” the insider shared.
In addition to losing his wife at a young age, the couple’s son Jett heartbreakingly died in 2009 at just 16 years old after a seizure.
In recent years, John has also taken a step back from his acting career, with the source explaining how he hasn’t been a part of anything “he’s really passionate about” lately.
“And his religion doesn’t seem to be the biggest priority for him anymore, either. Since Kelly’s passing, he’s just not as connected to his faith as he once was,” they added.
“John is afraid to open up and be vulnerable again, which is sad because he’s the kindest, nicest guy and has one of the biggest hearts of anyone in Hollywood,” the insider concluded.
As OK! previously reported, though John seemingly isn’t ready to find a new lover just yet, another source revealed what the father-of-three is looking for if ever wants to find someone new.
- 15 Celebrities Who Sold Their Homes to Other Stars: Tom Cruise, Jessica Simpson, George Clooney and More
- John Travolta Shares Rare Glimpse of Son Ben, 14, in Sweet Happy Birthday Post: Photo
- John Travolta Used Scientology Method to 'Heal' Marlon Brando in Barbra Streisand's Living Room, Her Stepson Josh Brolin Reveals
Want OK! each day? Sign up here!
“He’s not asking for much — just that she be kind, warm, gracious, funny and spontaneous. Being attractive too wouldn’t hurt!” the insider dished.
“Kelly wouldn’t want him to spend the rest of his life alone,” they continued.
“John hasn’t been on a date since before Kelly,” the source noted. “He’s a little rusty!”
An additional insider is doubtful that the star will ever put himself back out there again, sharing, "John still considers himself married and says he will stay loyal to Kelly until the day he dies."
Never miss a story — sign up for the OK! newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what OK! has to offer. It’s gossip too good to wait for!
"It's hands off when it comes to dating. It's sad, but he's essentially taken a vow of celibacy for the rest of his life," they shared, saying John can’t even think of "ever falling in love again" since "he says it would be a betrayal of Kelly's memory."
"Their lives were so intertwined, it's very hard for him to go on," they added.
In Touch reported on how John's kids hope he starts dating again.