Travolta Supports Kelly Preston
- Even after her passing from breast cancer last year, actor John Travolta is supporting wife Kelly and her work as he shares the news of her final film, Off the Rails, on social media.
- Kelly Preston privately battled breast cancer for two years before passing from the disease in July 2020.
- When a spouse has cancer, the diagnosis can impact a marriage in different ways.
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Preston’s daughter Ella Travolta wasn’t to be outdone by her proud pops. She, too, shares her mom’s film on Instagram, saying, “Off The Rails starring Kelly Preston. I am very proud of my mother's last film and I know she was too. She very much enjoyed the time she had making this wonderful picture and all of the lovely people she got to work with.â¤ï¸ It is available in UK and Ireland theatres starting Friday, July 23rd, 2021! #OffTheRails @offtherailsfilm @bklproductions”
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In the film, three friends journey across France, Italy, and Spain, as a final tribute to their friend who has passed. While critics haven’t been especially kind about Off the Rails (The Guardian gave it just one star and called the film “cringingly dreadful stuff“), the story looks to have a lot of warmth and heart, and that’s something of which to be proud. After the year and a half the world has had, this comic escape may be just what the doctor ordered.
Preston’s Off the Rails costar Sally Phillips spoke about the late Preston on the British talk show Loose Women on July 22, saying, “She was so bloomin’ beautiful. And so vibrant, and you would never have known [she had cancer]. She was so professional.”
The film opens in the UK and Ireland on July 23, 2021. No release date has been set yet for the U.S.
Preston’s Breast Cancer Battle
Preston passed away from breast cancer on July 12, 2020, after a private two-year battle with the disease. She was only 57 years old when she passed.
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Not much is known about the specifics of Preston's diagnosis, stage of the cancer, and her treatment path; she and her family chose to keep her cancer battle private. Breast cancer is typically treated with chemotherapy, radiation and surgery.
Related: When You're Getting a Mammogram, Ask About Dense Breasts
After she passed, Travolta thanked doctors at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston. "My family and I will forever be grateful to her doctors and nurses at MD Anderson Cancer Center, all the medical centers that have helped, as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side," he said.
Olivia Newton-John Remembers Her Friend Kelly Preston
How Cancer Can Impact a Marriage
We love to see Travolta supporting his late wife’s work, even after she’s gone. When a couple faces a cancer diagnosis together, it can be life-altering. Travolta was at Preston’s side throughout her battle with breast cancer, and he honors her publically even still, amid his grief.
Actress and melanoma survivor Jill Kargman believes that a cancer diagnosis can be very telling for a romantic relationship. She says in an earlier interview, “I think cancer is a great way to find out if you’re with the love of your life or a shithead.”
“I think it presses the fast forward button on getting to the bottom of that answer, because a lot of people in middle age are kind of at a crossroads, waiting for their kids to fly the coop,” says Kargman. “And I think if you’re with someone who is not supportive and kind of emotionally checked out or doesn’t tell you you’re still beautiful with that, this might not be your person.”
Jill Kargman on Relationships and Cancer
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