As one of his daughter Ella Bleu’s biggest cheerleaders, John Travolta couldn’t have been prouder to watch her embark on her music career and release her first EP into the world.
But as an actor and singer for five decades in cutthroat Hollywood, John, 70, is uneasy about how his daughter will fare in an industry that tends to chew talent up and spit them out just as easily.
“John’s doing his best to be supportive but he does have sleepless nights over Ella’s big steps into the spotlight,” an insider tells Woman’s Day.
“He also knows what it’s like to make mistakes in the public eye and go through scandals and heartbreaks with all the world’s worst trolls on attack.
“Even though Ella has the advantage of growing up in showbusiness and seeing the paps chasing down both her folks, John knows nothing can prepare you for real fame – and there’s no going back once you’re in it.”
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ELLA’S BIG BREAK
Ella has been trickling out music from her debut EP, Colors Of Love, in recent months, including Little Bird, a tribute to her mother Kelly Preston, who died of breast cancer in 2020.
And as John tries to solo parent Ella through the biggest chapter in her professional life, insiders say John could really use his beloved wife’s guidance and support.
“Now more than ever, John’s really missing Kelly,” the source says. “She would know better how to handle a young woman in general, and also what she would be facing with the publicity trail ahead of her.
“He’s so proud of Ella and wants her to succeed but he’s also super protective of her, especially without her mum around to guide her. She and [her brother] Ben are all
he’s got.”
At this challenging time, the actor is also finding himself missing another strong female presence in Ella’s life – his Grease co-star and music legend Olivia Newton-John, who sadly also passed away from a long battle with breast cancer two years after Kelly.
“It’s sad that Olivia’s not around to hear Ella’s music and help to steer her career, but she would have been so proud of her for giving it a shot,” adds the source.
But John has already helped Ella perhaps more than he knows. As a seasoned performer himself, John recognised Ella’s talent instantly, and the young singer credits her dad for being “a huge part” of her musical journey.
“At the beginning of the pandemic, I had a bunch of little voice notes on my phone of snippets of songs that I came up with or melodies,” Ella told People. “He was like, ‘Oh, wow, you should really finish these. You should finish these songs, and then you could record demos of them or something.”
MIXED EMOTIONS
While it’s only natural that John is feeling mixed emotions about his only daughter’s big career steps, he should be able to rest a little easier knowing that Ella values not only his advice as a father, but his vast experience in the world of showbiz.
“I run things by him a lot. He’s a complete role model for me and one of the biggest things also that he does is he’ll give me advice,” Ella admits of her superstar dad.
“The best advice that I’ve gotten obviously is from him, but he also really leaves it up to me, which I really appreciate. He very much so trusts me and my instincts.”
