John Travolta speaks from the heart as he pays tribute to model daughter Ella as she enters new chapter

John Travolta made sure to mark a very special day in his calendar on social media this week – his beloved daughter Ella’s birthday.

The Grease star took to Instagram on April 4 to share a gushing message to the model and musician, who marked a milestone birthday turning 25 a day prior.

John posted a picture of Ella all dressed up in the back of a taxi, rocking a nineties-inspired updo and a glamorous makeup look.

John’s special tribute to his only daughter

In the caption, John opened up about their special bond, writing: “On April 3rd, 2000, the world was blessed with one of the most magical souls. Gracious, generous, funny, beautiful, kind and deeply talented. You make all our lives better. Happy birthday, my darling Ella. Your dad loves you forever.”

Ella was one of the first to respond to her dad’s words, writing in the comments: “I love you so much.” 

The actor shares Ella with his late wife Kelly Preston, who passed away from breast cancer in 2020. The couple also share late son Jett, who tragically died aged just 16 in 2009, and Benjamin, 14.

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While John kept his children mainly out of the spotlight when they were younger, he occasionally shares updates on their lives on social media. 

Ella’s making her own mark in the entertainment industry

Now that Ella is an adult and making her own way in the entertainment industry, she has shared her own stories about her life, including what it was like growing up with two famous parents.

She told People: “I grew up very much so in the public eye. And with that comes a lot of attention, especially when you lose someone. There’s definitely the natural support and global support that comes with that.

“But then, there can be a natural input and expectation of how you should feel or how people assume that you feel or how other people feel, that gets added in.”

She also previously spoke about her close bond with her dad, from collaborating with him on music to the dating advice he’s given her.

She told Access Hollywood that the actor had told her: “If you’re going on a first date or meeting someone for the first time, just make sure to really be yourself and don’t give any false pretenses.”

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As well as modeling and acting, Ella also has a promising career in music and in 2024 she released her long-awaited EP, Colours of Love.

One of the songs on the EP, Little Bird, was dedicated to her late mom, and featured a montage of home videos with her.

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Discussing the sentimental song with People, she said that it was “about holding onto those pure relationships that you have with people that you lost and really just listening to yourself and staying true to that relationship with that person.”

She continued: “It had been a couple years, obviously, since my mom’s passing, so I could look at the whole situation and take a step back from it and see what I wanted to communicate on it and what I wanted to communicate to her and what I was feeling in general. So that’s sort of where I was on this, and that then completed the EP and it felt really good.”