Once one of the country’s top stars, but after many life events, it’s hard to recognize the beauty from before.

Kelly Mcgillis was a famous Hollywood star in the 80s.

After appearing in the blockbuster movie Top Gun as the lover of  Tom Cruise’s character Pete Mitchell  , the actress captivated the screen thanks to Her beauty is sweet, but also very fiery. 

But now, while her co-star Tom is still handsome, stylish and acting in “noisy” movies, Kelly has retreated into hiding and her appearance has gone downhill to the point of being unrecognizable.

The horrifying event left a lifelong scar

In 1979, Kelly left California for New York City to study acting at the Juilliard School.

 The female student’s life went smoothly until a terrible incident occurred in February 1982, leaving her traumatized and haunted for the rest of her life.

One night, while Kelly was at home, two strangers “smelling of alcohol and sweat” broke into Kelly’s house with the intention of robbing her and then playing tricks on her. 

Sharing the above memory, the actress said that after discovering them, she tried to call the police, but one of the two men “grabbed my hand tightly and pulled the phone off the wall.”

Then, they pinned the actress against the wall, took turns raping and stabbing her, threatening to stab her to death, even though Kelly kept screaming for help. 

A while later, the police appeared and she was taken to the hospital immediately.

 It wasn’t until a month later that the two green-bearded demons were arrested. 

Despite committing a heinous crime, one was only sentenced to three years in prison, the other was released due to lack of evidence.

Before this unfair verdict, the actress suffered severe psychological trauma.

 She suffered from anxiety, uncontrolled weight gain and used to turn to alcohol as a way to relieve her emotions.

 After two years of being immersed in drugs, the actress decided to quit drinking because she “was tired of torturing herself for something she didn’t do and realized that she wouldn’t have a future if she kept doing that. ”

Become a star with Top Gun

One year after rehab, in 1985, the actress’s career had a turning point after participating in the film Witness with actor Harrison Ford. 

As an Amish mother, she received a lot of praise for her performance and received Golden Globe and BAFTA Award nominations.

Actress in The Witness

But the actress’ most famous role is the role of Charlie Blackwood, an astrophysicist and technical instructor for pilots in the movie Top Gun (1986).

 After its release, the film took the world by storm, achieving a revenue of 357 million USD, compared to a budget of 15 million USD and creating a fever to learn to be a pilot across the United States.

Along with the success of the film, Kelly’s name was also raised to a new level. 

The image of the blonde beauty with a radiant smile has entered the hearts of many generations, turning her into one of the most famous actresses of her time.

After Top Gun, the actress participated in many different films such as The Accused , The Babe , Made in Heaven , The House of Carroll Street ,… but none of them could repeat the success of Top Gun.

 From the 90s onwards, she gradually withdrew from the silver screen, mainly acting in plays, commercials or appearing in small productions.

The ghosts of the past have never disappeared

Although she has achieved many successes in her career, deep inside, the actress still feels scared after that terrible incident.

 In 1986, the producer of The Accused invited her to play the role of a woman who was sexually assaulted in a bar. 

Faced with this offer, Kelly refused because “I have already been a victim of the incident in real life, so I don’t need to recreate that scene on screen anymore.”

 Instead, she plays a prosecutor pursuing the above case.

Actress in The Accused

Because she was so haunted by the incident, Kelly admitted that afterward, she could not ride the New York subway without hyperventilating and had intended to commit suicide without the help of her friends.

 In addition, she also often had thoughts of blaming herself for the above incident.

 The actress once shared that at that time, she was living with a woman and believed that the attack was punishment for living with a woman.

She thought that being raped was the most horrifying event in her life, but the storm still did not let her go. 

In 2016, Kelly McGillis was again brutally assaulted by a woman who broke into her house. 

Past fears caused her to apply for a permit to keep guns in her home to ensure her own safety.

Marriage broke down

She and her second husband

Kelly has been married three times, but none of them lasted long. 

In 1979, she got married for the first time but divorced only three years later. 

In 1989, she married a second time with a construction contractor.

 This marriage only lasted until 2002 even though they had two daughters together.

She is next to Melanie Leis

In 2009, the actress publicly announced that she was a lesbian and decided to register her marriage with her longtime friend, businessman Melanie Leis.

 She thought this would be her last stop, but in 2013, the two broke up. 

Since then, Kelly has lived alone in a small villa and lived alone, not caring about love or career anymore.

The appearance is so degraded that it is difficult to recognize

The unrecognizable appearance of a once beautiful woman

In 2017, the Top Gun: Maverick project was announced after many years of production. In this second part, Tom Cruise still plays the role of handsome pilot Pete, but the beautiful Charlie is no longer present.

 Instead, the person who replaced her as Tom Cruise’s new lover in this part was Jennifer Connelly.

When asked about this part of the film, Kelly said that Paramount did not even call her. She also admitted that her appearance was no longer suitable for this movie: “I’m old, fat and look my real age, and the movie doesn’t need those things.”

 However, she also seemed happy for Connelly and said that she was satisfied with her current life: “I feel comfortable with myself at the present time, instead of worrying about other issues. ”