Ella Bleu Travolta’s Grief Will Be ‘Layered’ After Losing Mom Kelly Preston & Brother Jett, Experts Say

John Travolta and Kelly Preston’s daughter Ella Bleu Travolta is grieving the loss of her mother 11 years after losing her older brother, Jett. On Monday, July 13, The Inquisitr reported that Preston died following a battle with breast cancer. She is survived by her husband and the couple’s two kids, Ella, 20, and her younger brother, Benjamin, 11. While Benjamin will likely have a difficult time dealing with the loss of his mom given his tender age, things will also be challenging for Ella, who has now lost two very close family members over the course of her life.

Ella Bleu is quite a bit older now than when she lost her older brother, Jett, but experts say that she is understandably going to have a very hard time. Author and spiritual empath Tracee Dunblazier brought up some great points about Ella Bleu being at the age where a true friendship between a mother and a daughter solidifies. This could make things harder for Ella, who has lost her mom and her friend.

“Grief is layered, especially when you’ve already had losses, but a person’s state of development can definitely impact how one relates to the work of grief, like the ability to identify and communicate about feelings and loss, and the actual expression of the grief, i.e. crying, screaming, and emotional release. Another deeply impactful aspect of the loss of Kelly Preston is her daughter Ella Bleu’s loss of her same-sex parent, mentor, and friend. If their relationship was able to move into more of a friendship, combined with an approximately two-year illness, there may have been time to process any complicated layers to their emotional relationship and pre-grieve the impending death by everyone,” Dunblazier told The Inquisitr exclusively.

The fact that Ella Bleu had some time to prepare for her mom’s passing may help her in the grieving process. Ella’s brother’s death was sudden and the grieving process undoubtedly happened differently. At that time, Ella was only 9 years old. She will process the loss of her mom differently as an adult and losing her brother so young may have even prepared her to deal with this loss.

“The way we are taught to grieve as kids is what instructs us as adults. My hope for the family of Kelly Preston is that they had a lot of education about end of life. [I hope] that [Ella] was able to say goodbye and that [the family was] able to say all the things that they needed to before [Preston] died. And that they are given all the privacy they need to grieve as they need, and can set boundaries to complete the process on their time,” licensed clinical social worker Jill Johnson-Young told The Inquisitr.

Johnson-Young also stressed the need for privacy during these challenging times. Fortunately, Travolta and Preston have done a tremendous job at keeping their children out of the public eye over the years.

There are also resources for people who lose a loved one. According to Zivadream founder Lynell Ross, having someone to talk to is key. Being open and having a strong support system will really help both Ella and Benjamin come through this tragedy.

“It is difficult enough to handle the death of one family member, but if you lose two loved ones in your immediate family, the grief can feel unbearable. The most helpful thing you can do if you have lost loved ones is to seek help from a therapist, grief counselor, or join a grief support group… While it seems easier to go on with your life as if nothing has happened, life will get harder if you don’t find safe people to talk to, allow your feelings to be felt, and process your grief with someone who can guide you through it,” Ross told The Inquisitr.