Tom Selleck once danced with Princess Diana back in 1985. However, the actor revealed he almost declined the dance. Here’s why.
Selleck was one of three actors invited to attend the 1985 White House dinner. The others were John Travolta and Clint Eastwood. While at the dinner, Selleck tried to keep a low profile while watching Diana and Travolta dance, according to People.
“We slipped away from all the dancers and moved to a spot slightly around the corner,” Selleck wrote, per USA Today. “By now John and Princess Di were dancing to an up-tempo number and rocking out. Everybody else stopped dancing and formed a circle around them, clapping their hands.”
However, one of Diana’s reps approached Selleck about dancing with Diana. She wanted Selleck to intervene as Diana and Travolta were about to have a second dance. The representative didn’t want rumors to start.
“Clint and I said nothing,” Selleck recalled. The rep continued, “‘Mr. Selleck, you must step in and replace him.’ “
“’I’M NOT CUTTING IN ON JOHN TRAVOLTA!’ was my reply, probably in too loud a voice. She was not pleased,” Selleck continued. Ultimately, he did interrupt a third dance between the pair.
Meanwhile, Travolta once explained his side of the story. “About 10 o’clock at night, Nancy Reagan tapped on my shoulder and said, ‘The princess, her fantasy is to dance with you. Would you like to dance with her tonight?’ ” he recalled. “And I said, ‘Well of course.’ “
Tom Selleck Recalls Dancing With Princess Diana
Travolta continued calling it a fantasy. “It was a storybook moment,” he said. “We bowed when it was over, and, you know, she was off, and I was off, and my carriage turned into a pumpkin.”
Meanwhile, Selleck remembered the dance as “lovely, and there was a very shy quality about her in spite of her being well-schooled in the art of conversation.” He said, “Oh yeah, I was starstruck.
As for the actual dancing, Selleck said his moves left a bit to be desired. “All I could do dancing was box step like we did in high school dances, a box step and a dip,” he revealed. “And I wasn’t about to dip with Princess Di! So I just talked. But she was very gracious … It was certainly memorable.”
Meanwhile, his wife danced with King Charles. “The prince danced with my wife, who’s a Brit. And he asked her for a second dance, so that was pretty neat for Jillie,” he told Town & Country.