Kelly Preston, actress and John Travolta's wife, dies aged 57

13 July 2020, 08:04 | Updated: 13 July 2020, 08:54

John Travolta has confirmed that his wife Kelly Preston has died from breast cancer, aged 57.

The actor posted on Instagram: "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.

He added: "She fought a courageous fight with the love and support of so many."

The Hollywood couple had been married for over 20 years.

View this post on Instagram

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.  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. Kelly’s love and life will always be remembered. I will be taking some time to be there for my children who have lost their mother, so forgive me in advance if you don’t hear from us for a while.  But please know that I will feel your outpouring of love in the weeks and months ahead as we heal. All my love, JT

A post shared by John Travolta (@johntravolta) on Jul 12, 2020 at 10:20pm PDT

Travolta thanked health workers who had looked after his wife "as well as her many friends and loved ones who have been by her side".

"I will be taking some time to be there for my children who have lost their mother, so forgive me in advance if you don't hear from us for a while. But please know that I will feel your outpouring of love in the weeks and months ahead as we heal. All my love, JT".

The couple's son Jett Travolta died aged 16 in 2009 after a seizure during a family holiday in the Bahamas.

They had two other children together, Ella Bleu and Benjamin.

Kelly Preston appeared in the films Twins, From Dusk Till Dawn, Jerry Maguire and The Cat in the Hat among others.

After previously dating George Clooney and Charlie Sheen, Preston first met John Travolta in 1987 while filming The Experts.

They married in 1991, at a ceremony in Paris. A second ceremony was required in Florida because the first was performed by a French Scientology minister, and was considered invalid at the time.