When the actor shared his famous dance with the late Princess Diana at the White House State Dinner in 1985, it was guaranteed to spark rumors about the duo. Luckily for John Travolta, Tom Selleck and other star-studded guests swiftly intervened to prevent any further gossip.
In his memoir, “You Never Know,” Selleck recounted the evening, revealing that he, Travolta, and Clint Eastwood were among the only three actors invited to celebrate Diana and the then-Prince Charles.
Admitting he was “anxious” to meet the royals, the “Blue Bloods” actor recalled how “charming, graceful, and beautiful” Diana was that evening. He also noted that Charles had a rare skill of making people feel important in their moment together.
“After dinner, everyone moved to the East Room for music and dancing,” Selleck wrote. “President [Ronald] Reagan danced with Princess Diana, and Charles danced with Nancy [Reagan]. Then John Travolta and the princess began dancing together.”
Shortly after, Selleck and Eastwood were approached by a woman speaking rapidly. “Mr. Travolta and the princess are dancing for a second time together. We can’t have that. We don’t want to start rumors, do we? Mr. Selleck, you must step in and replace him,” the woman told him.
“‘I’M NOT CUTTING IN ON JOHN TRAVOLTA!’ was my reply, probably in too loud a voice,” Selleck wrote. “She was not happy. ‘Very well. The next dance, come with me.’”
Acknowledging he was nervous to hit the dance floor with Diana, especially after her dance with Travolta, Selleck was relieved when the song turned out to be a slow number.
“Princess Diana was lovely, and there was a very shy quality about her in spite of her being well-schooled in the art of conversation,” he wrote. “I gotta say she seemed to be having the time of her life. I was relieved she talked most of the time. Let’s just say it was not my finest hour as a conversationalist.”
While Selleck danced with Diana, his wife Jillie Mack danced with Charles. The prince thanked Selleck’s wife for “rescuing” him after all of the First Lady’s friends “kept stepping on my toes.” Clint took over for Selleck, and Selleck danced with his friend Nancy.
“She was relaxed, and I was relaxed. They were playing a song from the 1940s. I wish I could remember what it was, because Nancy was quietly singing along. What a nice way to end the evening.”
In 2021, John Travolta recalled the dance with Diana, calling the event a “fairytale.”
“I didn’t think they’d ask me to dance with her. I had the great privilege and honor of doing so, and I thought, ‘There must be a reason for doing this and I better give it my all,’” the actor told Esquire Spain in his May 2021 cover story.
He described the energy in the room at the event and how Diana responded to his invitation to hit the dance floor.
“Think of the setting. We were at the White House. It’s midnight. The stage is like a dream,” Travolta remembered. “I approach her, touch her elbow, invite her to dance. She spins around and gives me that captivating smile, just a little sad, and accepts my invitation. And there we were, dancing together as if it were a fairytale.”
