From Dancing Queen to Mystery: What Made Cynthia Rhodes Leave the Spotlight

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?

This Lady Is Married To One Of The Most Beautiful Actors In The World

It’s just that by now, we’re used to seeing certain Hollywood romance tropes repeatedly.There are the young, cute couples who aren’t shy about promoting their blossoming romance on social media; the co-stars who have secret on-set affairs while being probed for adultery; and the old man in his sixties or seventies who is openly romancing a young, gorgeous woman half his age.We observe these paradigms without questioning them and come to accept them as the standard.Pierce Brosnan’s professional contemporaries, along with the general public, assumed he would finish dead last in this competition.Despite being a good fit, he boldly and creatively disproved all the assumptions being made about him.He’s been married to Keely for twenty years, and they’ve been together long enough to start a family.

Their journey has been as romantic and passionate as anyone could have hoped, but poor Keely has been the target of unjustified and terrible hatred as of late.Thankfully, Pierce managed to hold out. He defended his wife in front of the public and showed her how much he loved her despite the criticism. His actions lead us to the following conclusions:Pierce, contrary to popular opinion, “loves every curve” of his wife’s body.In 1994, Pierce met American journalist Keely Shaye Smith for the first time. His first wife Cassandra Harris died of ovarian cancer on December 28, 1991.Pierce, who was left to raise three children on his own, was naturally distraught by her death and unsure of where to begin the healing process.Having Keely in his life at the proper time gave him the boost he needed to embark on the challenging, yet rewarding, role of motherhood.“Her friends offered her weight-loss surgery. However, I adore every curve in her physique. She is the most beautiful woman in my eyes. Additionally, she gave birth to our five children,” says Pierce Brosnan.They adopted Pierce’s two boys, Dylan and Paris, and tied the knot in 2001 in Pierce’s homeland.They’ve been together for twenty wonderful years, and their love for one another has only deepened in that time.Last week, Pierce gave his wife a touching 20th anniversary letter in which he wished her “Happy anniversary my dear Keely, my love forever increases with you” and included two photos of the couple taken 20 years apart to illustrate the wonderful development of their relationship.

The public constantly seems to find something negative to say about the couple, even though there is no reason for them to do so.The hostility seems to be directed towards Keely’s physical appearance, especially her weight. The public at large appears to be startled and outraged.Pierce’s mistake was to marry an idealized version of his own age and physical attractiveness.Someone who doesn’t fit the size 0 mold and has a normal body type rather than looking like a bombshell If he is so wealthy and powerful, why does he choose to marry a common woman who is apparently below his social status?His feelings for her invalidate sexist views on the value of women.It’s easy to forget that one might defy beauty standards by putting on weight. No one forces you to exist in a society where your success is measured by how well you blend in and howlittle of an impact you have on those around you.Growing older means prioritizing different things, and you could find that you no longer need validation from others to feel secure in yourself.Pierce has said that he likes Keely more for who she is than for how she looks.If you’re serious about someone, you’ll be willing to change as they do and adapt your views as they develop.

If love were simple, we wouldn’t have spent millennia trying to figure it out.

Pierce revealed in an interview that several of their acquaintances had suggested that his wife get weight loss surgery, but the former James Bond is unwavering in his admiration for her in spite of her size.

He is completely indifferent to the idle rantings of internet strangers about his girlfriend’s body, which he likes in all its imperfect glory.
Pierce went out of his way to say that he has always had a thing for Keely because of her sweet nature and generous spirit.

“In the past, I actually loved her for her person, not simply for her beauty, and now I’m loving her even more that she is my children’s mother, and I am extremely proud of her, and I always aim to be worthy of her love,” he stated on Hollywood Star.

Pierce has no right to defend his desire for her after 20 years or even to reply to the insult.

But it’s so sweet to watch an elderly couple show their love for one another.
Pierce’s decision to stay with the same woman and continue their relationship stands out as oddly defiant because it is so common for older Hollywood superstars to get connected with attractive, young ladies who are around thirty years their junior.

It once again calls attention to the excessive expectations placed on women’s bodies and appearances; women are told that they must never “let themselves go” and that they must constantly be more gorgeous than men in order to “deserve” love. Any time they act out of character, they give guys carte blanche to pursue other women.

Pierce values his wife more for the role she has played in his life than for her physical attractiveness.
She pulled him out of his despair, allowing him to develop and find his place in a harsh and unforgiving world. It’s not unexpected that the couple is still going strong.

In the face of criticism, love has no chance.

When it comes to their commitment to one another, Keely and Pierce don’t give a hoot about what others think.
As you become older, you realize that it’s not principles but rather a shared understanding of the world and each other that sparks attraction and desire.

When you spend time with someone, it’s not just because they make you feel good physically; it’s also because you wouldn’t want to be with anybody else.

It doesn’t mean you can’t fall in love with them again; it just means you appreciate them beyond their physical looks and traditional standards of beauty.

Pierce’s love for Keely demonstrates that one need not care what others think.