CNN
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Kirstie Alley and John Travolta were never romantically involved, but it wasn’t the way she originally wanted it to be.
Alley, who died Monday at the age of 71 after a short illness, often spoke about her feelings for Travolta, whom she called the “greatest love” of her life.
The pair starred together in the “Look Who’s Talking” film franchise (the first film hit theaters in 1989). During a 2018 appearance on “Celebrity Big Brother UK,” Alley talked about how easy it is to fall in love with leading men.
She named two co-stars for whom she said she developed feelings but never fully developed an attraction: Patrick Swayze and Travolta.
“I almost ran off and married John. I loved him, I still love him,” Alley said. “If I hadn’t been married, I would have gone and married him and I would have been on the plane because he has his [own plane.]”
The same year she appeared on the reality show, the “Cheers” star also spoke about Travolta during an interview on the “Dan Wootton Interviews” podcast on the Local. She said that not sleeping with the movie star was “the hardest decision I’ve ever made because I was madly in love with him.”
“We were fun and funny together,” she said. “It wasn’t a sexual relationship because I’m not going to cheat on my husband.”
Alley was married to actor Parker Stevenson at the time. The couple divorced in 1997.
In 2013, Alley told Howard Stern that Travolta also had feelings for her, but didn’t act on them because of her marriage.
“It took me years to stop looking at John as a romantic interest,” she said.
Travolta married actress Kelly Preston in 1991. Alley told Wooten that Preston put her foot down about her flirting with her husband.
“Kelly came to me, and they were married at the time, and she said, ‘Why are you flirting with my husband?'” Alley said. “And that was kind of when I had to make a decision, and it was pretty much a given.”
Travolta paid tribute to Alley on social media on Monday.
“Kirstie was one of the most special relationships I’ve ever had,” he wrote in the caption on his verified Instagram account. “I love you Kirstie. I know we’ll see each other again.”
