John Travolta speaks out for the first time about his iconic dance with Princess Diana

Publish Date
Tuesday, 10 December 2019, 3:26PM

We all remember the once-in-a-lifetime moment when Princess Diana danced with John Travolta at the White House in November 1985.

How could we forget? It was the world's most glamorous Princess and the world's most handsome movie star dancing together as 'You Should Be Dancing' from Saturday Night Fever played.

At the time, the "People's Princess" and Prince Charles were on their first tour of America together, so naturally then-first lady Nancy Reagan organised the event in their honour.

But while it was the most talked-about moment from that night, up until now, Travolta has remained tight-lipped on all the details surrounding their dance.

Speaking to Yahoo Entertainment, the Grease actor revealed: "I didn’t know until I got there that I was supposed to dance with her."

"[Princess Diana] kept that a secret when she met me. She didn’t know that Nancy Reagan hadn’t told me yet that this was the plan—that I was the Prince Charming of the evening."

READ MORE:
• It has been revealed Princess Charlotte is surprisingly already worth more than Prince George
• Prince Louis looks identical to Prince George in new side-by-side comparison photo

Despite being a successful Hollywood actor, the 65-year-old was nervous about their big dance.

He continued: "I was awestruck with her... She led the way, and I thought, 'Well, that’s not going to happen! I’ve got to go back to my school days of learning ballroom dancing and show that I can lead her.'"

As for Diana's perfect gown, Travolta said: "It fit her beautifully... I could probably sketch it in my mind because it was so specific."

The famous dance went into the hall of memories for the actor, who called it "one of the highlights of my life."

Take your Radio, Podcasts and Music with you