Highlights

• Tom Selleck refused to cut in on Princess Diana and John Travolta's dance.
• Princess Diana's team feared rumors of an affair between Diana and Travolta after their mesmerizing dance.
• Nancy Reagan and Princess Diana orchestrated John Travolta and Diana's iconic dance moment.

During John Travolta's amazing life, he has headlined a slew of blockbuster movies, which has allowed him to have an amazing lifestyle. In addition to spending his fortune in fun ways, Travolta has also gotten the chance to rub elbows with people like Princess Diana.

Even years after her passing, Princess Diana's fans are still so interested that there are rumors about her children and godchildren. For that reason, many observers took note when Tom Selleck revealed that Princess Diana's team asked him to save her and Travolta from cheating rumors.

This article will reveal why Tom Selleck had to save Princess Diana and John Travolta from scandal. Then, the article will look at what Travolta said about dancing with Princess Diana before her tragic passing.

Tom Selleck Was Asked To Save Princess Diana From Cheating Rumors But He Worried About Disrespecting John Travolta

In May 2024, People published an article that revealed a story that Tom Selleck shared in his memoir, "You Never Know". According to what Selleck wrote in his book, he was put in an awkward position after being asked to save Princess Diana from scandal.

In Selleck's book, he wrote about when he danced with Princess Diana at a 1985 White House dinner. According to Selleck, someone involved with Princess Diana's team pressured him to dance with the gorgeous royal.

According to Selleck, he and Clint Eastwood stood in the corner of the room in the White House where the dinner and a reception that followed were held. At the same time, Princess Diana and John Travolta were dancing. Suddenly, a woman from Princess Diana's team approached Selleck and asked him to cut in on the dancing duo before they could "start rumors".

While Selleck didn't spell it out in his book, the worry was that Princess Diana and Travolta's dancing could spawn rumors that they were having an affair. According to Selleck, he initially didn't respond to the request to split up Travolta and Princess Diana.

According to Vogue, Princess Diana had an affair the year after she notably danced with John Travolta at the White House. Amid Princess Diana and Prince Charles' unhappy marriage, she reportedly had an affair with Army Captain James Hewitt from 1986 until 1990.

In response, the member of Princess Diana's team became more insistent that Travolta had to be stopped. "'Mr. Selleck, you must step in and replace him.'"

Unfortunately for the woman from Princess Diana's team, Selleck refused her request. Worse yet, Selleck wrote in his book that he refused her request in a way that could have drawn more attention.

“'I'M NOT CUTTING IN ON JOHN TRAVOLTA!' was my reply, probably in too loud a voice. She was not pleased."

In his book, Selleck reveals that his refusal to cut in ensured that Princess Diana and John Travolta were the center of attention longer. Travolta and Princess Diana danced together for a second song before Selleck stepped in and asked the royal to dance with him.

How long did Princess Diana live, according to Britannica?

In his book, Selleck writes about his impression of Princess Diana following their brief encounter. According to Selleck, 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".

Even though Selleck described Princess Diana as being shy, he also admitted that he felt "starstruck" while dancing with her. That feeling may have been compounded by the fact that Selleck claimed in his memoir that he wasn't a good dancer.

"All I could do dancing was box step like we did in high school dances, a box step and a dip. And I wasn't about to dip with Princess Di! So I just talked. But she was very gracious ... It was certainly memorable."

If it wasn't bad enough that Selleck didn't have confidence at that moment, he also had to follow in Travolta's shoes. In Selleck's book, he wrote about how Princess Diana and Travolta's dancing was so mesmerizing that people crowded around them.

"John and Princess Di were dancing to an up-tempo number and rocking out. Everybody else stopped dancing and formed a circle around them, clapping their hands."

Keep in mind, Travolta and Princess Diana commanded a room that had many world leaders in it, including President Ronald Reagan and his wife, Nancy Reagan. No wonder Princess Diana's team was worried about spawning cheating rumors.

John Travolta Was Asked To Dance With Princess Diana By The Former First Lady, Nancy Reagan

In Tom Selleck's memoir, he wrote about a woman coming up to him and getting him to dance with Princess Diana. When John Travolta spoke about dancing with Princess Diana at the same event, he too revealed that a woman came up to him and told him to dance with the royal.

In August 2021, a documentary titled In Their Own Words: Diana, Princess of Wales aired on PBS. During that documentary in which people spoke about their experiences with The People's Princess, Travolta revealed Nancy Reagan got him to dance with Princess Diana.

"About 10 o'clock at night, Nancy Reagan tapped on my shoulder and said, 'The princess, her fantasy is to dance with you. Would you like to dance with her tonight?' And I said, 'Well of course.'"

After The First Lady played dance floor matchmaker, Travolta approached Princess Diana and they had their memorable dance.

According to what John Travolta said during In Their Own Words: Diana, Princess of Wales, it was Princess Diana who ultimately asked him to dance with her. "My heart starts to race, you know, and I tap her on the shoulder and she turns around and looks at me, and she had that kind of bashful dip [of her chin] that she did, and she looked up at me, and I said, 'Would you care to dance with me?'"

While it was suggested to Travolta that he should dance with Princess Diana, he clearly loved the experience based on what he went on to say during the documentary.

"It was a storybook moment. We bowed when it was over, and, you know, she was off, and I was off, and my carriage turned into a pumpkin."