Last Updated: 23 Nov 2009

Travolta opens up about blackmail

There can be nothing worse than losing a child, but somehow the tragedy that befell John Travolta and his wife Kelly reached new heights of despicableness when the couple were caught up in a blackmail scandal.

Yesterday John spoke for the first time about the night his son Jett died whilst he and his family were on holiday in the Bahamas.

He and Kelly were in court for the hearing of their alleged blackmailers.

John told how a nanny woke him up banging on his bedroom door after she had found 16-year-old Jett unconscious.

When he and Kelly ran downstairs they saw Jett lying on the bathroom floor having suffered a seizure.

Jett had a history of health problems and seizures and was also autistic.

John said that night when he saw him on the bathroom floor he began frantically performing CPR on his son and asked if an ambulance had been called to which he was told yes.

The blackmailers later tried to extort £18 million from the couple saying that John had refused his son medical attention and they would expose this if they were not paid the massive sum.

They claim that Travolta wanted to get his son off the island and signed a 'refusal of medical attention' form.

John yesterday explained that he asked the ambulance driver to take him and his son to the airport. The driver then gave him what he thought was a 'liability release document' and because time was of the essence he signed without reading it fully.

The trial continues.