When Cynthia Rhodes wasn’t “Staying Alive” on the dance floor with John Travolta, she was “Dirty Dancing” with Patrick Swayze.
Rhodes, who will turn 67 in November 2023, had a great career with famous dance movies from the 1980s. However, she chose to step away from the spotlight at the height of her fame.
Keep reading to find out why this talented actress, singer, and dancer retired so early!
Cynthia Rhodes was born in Nashville, Tennessee. She started her acting career with a small role in the 1980 musical fantasy film **Xanadu**, which starred the late Olivia Newton-John and Gene Kelly.
Her role as Tina Tech, a dancer in the 1983 film **Flashdance**, led to a bigger part later that year as John Travolta’s love interest in **Staying Alive**, the sequel to **Saturday Night Fever**, directed by Sylvester Stallone.
In 1987, she played her most famous role as Penny Johnson, a dance instructor at a resort hotel in **Dirty Dancing**.
In her role as Penny, Cynthia Rhodes shows off her amazing dance skills with graceful and flashy Mambo moves alongside the late Patrick Swayze. She also shares some very emotional and heartbreaking scenes with him.
Rhodes described her character Penny as having an “edge.” Penny both charmed and shocked viewers as she dealt with a difficult storyline involving a botched illegal abortion.
The film includes a socially relevant subplot about reproductive rights, with Rhodes at the center of it all. This helped position the three lead characters—Swayze as Johnny, Jennifer Grey as Baby, and Rhodes as Penny—for stardom.
“She’s from South Philly and she’s had a rough life,” Rhodes said about her character. “She’s got a sweetness about her, but it’s hidden because she’s been through a lot, and she has sort of put up a wall.” Rhodes added, “In the end, I think she finally realizes that life does go on.”
Life went on for Cynthia Rhodes, but not in the way her fans hoped.
After training for ten hours a day to prepare for her role as Penny, Rhodes found dancing to be “really hard.” She shared, “That’s why I keep saying I’m never going to dance again. I’m tired of dancing. My bones are hurting, and my back hurts all the time.” She added, “Every time I say, ‘That’s it, I don’t want to dance anymore,’ I get another film. I’m not going to turn down work! I feel very fortunate to be in films that involve dancing. But I just want a chance to do some dramatic work without dancing. Just give me a straight acting part.”
In the same year that *Dirty Dancing* was released, the 31-year-old Rhodes, who had many role options and admirers, appeared in the music video for “Don’t Mean Nothing” by Richard Marx. He is also known for the song “Right Here Waiting,” which was famously written for Rhodes in 1989.
In 1989, Rhodes married the Grammy Award-winning singer Richard Marx, and the couple welcomed their first child, Brandon, in 1990. They later had two more sons, Lucas in 1992 and Jesse in 1994.
According to Marx, Rhodes, who had previously trained for the Olympics, decided to retire in 1990 to focus on raising their children. He mentioned that this choice was also due to the “intense physical pain” her dance moves caused her.
“I thought, ‘This won’t last; she’s definitely going to want to come back to work and do films.’ But she found fulfillment in being a mom that completely overshadowed any desire she had to make movies,” Marx, now 59, explained. “Even if you’re her biggest fan, as good as you think she was as a dancer, singer, or actress, you should see her as a mom.”
Rhodes, who began dancing at just three years old, found that she was much happier being a mom and giving her body the rest it needed.
“The thing was, I used to never be sore. In fact, I was a gymnast. Now it’s frustrating… I never used to stretch, but now I have to stretch before I dance. I love to dance, but if I never did it again, I wouldn’t be sorry,” Rhodes said.
Since then, she hasn’t looked back. The last time she appeared on screen was in the 1991 film *Curse of the Crystal Eye.*
The former Hollywood starlet divorced Marx in 2014, and he married MTV’s first Latina host, Daisy Fuentes, the following year.
As for her sons, all three are following in the footsteps of their famous parents. Brandon is now a music producer and singer, while Lucas has made a name for himself as a singer and actor, appearing in TV series like *The Chicago Code*, *The Mob Doctor*, *Chicago P.D.*, and *Parenthood*. The youngest son, Jesse, has joined a metal band and is working on his own music.
Dancing requires a high level of athleticism, so while we miss seeing Cynthia Rhodes, we completely understand why she chose to leave Hollywood.
What are your favorite films featuring her?
Rod Stewart’s wife Penny Lancaster blasted online at 53, fans say tiny bikini unflattering
Penny Lancaster, the spouse of Rod Stewart, has been subjected to a barrage of criticism following her discovery aboard a yacht off the coast of Sardinia, Italy, sporting an incredibly little bikini.
The stunning blonde appears to be “sagging” and “drooping” in the swimsuit, according to some fans, while others argue that the 53-year-old model isn’t particularly amazing and that there’s “no need for name calling.”
Discover why fans are enamored with Lancaster’s beachy appearance by reading on!
Rod Stewart took some of his huge clan to Sardinia, Italy, to spend much-needed family time with his wife Penny Lancaster, despite his hectic tour schedule.
Lancaster, who wed the celebrity in 2007, posts on Instagram, “Another amazing family holiday together (a few were sadly missed) in the [Mediterranean] bonding, healing, love and laughter.” A picture of the 79-year-old “Maggie May” singer with her daughters, Kimberly, 44, and Ruby, 37, and sons, Aiden, 13, and Alastair, 18, is attached to the post.
There were also his two sons-in-law, Adam Sumner and Jake Alick, and his grandson, Otis, who is little over a year old.
In a July 2024 interview, Lancaster says to Hello!, “We like to take every opportunity to bring the family, children, and grandchildren together.” “The whole clan gets together at least twice or three times a year, but it takes a lot of planning because part of the family lives in America and part in England.”
“Incorrect bikini top”
The patriarch and his spouse were seen enjoying the sun on a $65 million super yacht in Porto Cervo, an Italian seaside town in northern Sardinia, Italy, prior to taking off again for his residency at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas.
Stewart, the singer of “Tonight’s the Night,” is seen wearing a lemon-colored button-down short-sleeved shirt and shielded his face from the blazing sun with a towel.
When the singer “Do Ya Think I’m Sexy” first met Lancaster in 1999, the model Rachel Hunter was still his wife, and Lancaster wasn’t afraid to flaunt her stunning 53-year-old figure.
The devoted wife was spotted lounging on the deck of the opulent yacht or playing in the pristine blue waters while sporting a little black bikini with a ponytail.
Some followers commented on Lancaster’s appearance on social media, saying the mother of two should reconsider her clothing selections.
“After noticing the drooping, sagging, and wrinkled mammary sack barley that was being restrained by being stretched to its highest limit…It would be more along the lines of Ewwwwww,” a critic tweets.
“Incorrect bikini top,” says a second. A third observes, “For a woman who was famous for wearing clothes for a living, she is sorely letting the side down,” in reference to Lancaster’s modeling career. She should understand that “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should” in addition to the fact that she needs a stylist before stepping out in public.
One person defends her while acknowledging the critiques, writing, “The swimsuit is not flattering.” Put an end to the criticism; she is in her 50s. She is not amazing, but there’s no need to call her names.
Another person snipes, “Leave her alone, they are on vacation on their yacht not a public beach.”
Style icon
The musician, who was born in London, teased his return to Caesars Palace on July 12 by posting a picture of himself seated on the yacht and dressed in a short suit with black and white stripes.
In his letter, he states, “I’m all decked up for the holidays and excited to visit Caesars Palace in Las Vegas from July 24 to August 7.”
The ensemble is a modern take on the one he donned in 1973, one of many “anything but subtle” ensembles that made him a “fashion icon” according to Vogue.
How do you feel about Lancaster’s swimsuit selection? Please let us know what you think!
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