Who were Riley Keough's former partners before her marriage to Ben Smith-Petersen? Actress' past relationships explored amid John Travolta controversy

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Riley Keough is the biological mother of John Travolta's kid (image via Getty)

Before marrying her husband, Ben Smith Patterson, Riley Keough was linked with several other names in Hollywood, including Nicholas Hoult, Robert Pattinson, Ryan Cabrera, and Alex Pettyfer.

Elvis Presley's granddaughter, Riley Keough, is the biological mother of John Travolta's son, as per a new lawsuit. As per court documents obtained by People, Riley Keough donated her eggs to John Travolta and Kelly Preston, and the couple used them to welcome their son, Benjamin.

In an amended complaint filed by Priscilla Presley's former business associates, Brigitte Kruse and Kevin Fialko, against Priscilla's son, Navarone Garcia, on December 16, Keough donated her eggs to Travolta. The document claims that Lisa Marie Presley's ex-husband, Michael Lockwood, told Kruse that John Travolta and his wife, Kelly Preston, approached The Presleys for an egg donation around 2010.

According to Lockwood, Travolta and Preston "orchestrated a deal" with Riley Keough so that the couple could give birth to their son, Ben Travolta.


More about Riley Keough's past relationships

Riley Keough dated American singer-songwriter Ryan Frank Cabrera from 2006 to 2008. Keough then went on to date Alex Pettyfer and was engaged to Pettyfer for 10 months. The two dated for 8 months before the engagement and first met on the set of Magic Mike. However, the two split up less than a year later in 2013.

Keough had met Ben Smith Patterson on the sets of Mad Max: Fury Road in 2012. The two were briefly introduced on set, but didn't start dating until a year later. The two announced their engagement in 2014, and less than a year later, they tied the knot in February 2015. While recalling the early stages of dating Patterson to USA Today in 2016, Keough said,

"Two weeks into dating him, we were at a gas station and I was like, 'I could see myself having kids with this person. It was kind of like I knew I was meeting my husband. Which was very cool."

In a 2022 essay for Vogue Australia, Riley said,

"My husband is such a good person. He's calm and loyal and strong and sensitive. He's my best friend."

In the same essay, Keough revealed that after meeting on the sets of Mad Max: Fury Road in 2012, the two reconnected in 2013, while they were doing re-shoots in Australia. It was during this time that the two had a couple of drinks and started to connect.

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Edited by Tanisha Aggarwal