A heartbroken JOHN TRAVOLTA – grief-stricken over the tragic death of his son JETT – secretly separated from wife KELLY PRESTON and sailed off on a Caribbean cruise determined to end their marriage.
But the adventure ended with the Hollywood star rushing back to Kelly, bursting with hope that a new baby could save the marriage, say sources.
“The cruise was a turning point in their relationship,” a family friend confided to The ENQUIRER.
“John was on the verge of a complete breakdown. But at some point he decided his life with Kelly must go on, and what they needed was another baby.”
The couple had been in intense counseling after their 16-year-old autistic son died of a seizure in January 2009, but it didn’t seem to help, said the source.
“John and Kelly were so shell-shocked they were numb,” the source said. “They weren’t able to do the work they needed, and they were drowning in sorrow.”
The distraught “Grease” star then marked Jett’s 17th birthday in April 2009 by flying to Tahiti alone and also made solo trips to Miami and San Juan, sources say.
Two months after that, John, 57, embarked on a five-day cruise of Mexico and Central America with a group of buddies, say sources.
“At one point he told a pal, ‘I can’t go on like this. Kelly and I have become strangers. All she does is cry. I think it’s time we both start over.’”
This bombshell new information described to The ENQUIRER marks the first time anyone close to the super-secret star has revealed the full depth of John and Kelly’s torment and how the devastating trauma nearly ripped them apart.
The cruise was organized as an eat-drink-and-be-merry excursion, but in the end, the “Pulp Fiction” hunk jumped ship early, flew home to Kelly, 48, and they resumed counseling, the source said.
“They learned from their sorrow, and their love bonded them again, paving the way for a baby,” revealed the source.
Their son Benjamin was born Nov. 23, 2010, joining big sister Ella, 11.
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