Kayla Nicole, ex-girlfriend of Travis Kelce, shared with Angel Reese that she once believed she would marry the NFL star during their five-year on-again, off-again relationship. She also spoke about how Kelce’s new romance with Taylor Swift has affected her.
The social media influencer joined WNBA player Reese’s podcast, where she discussed her past relationship with the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl champion, which ended in 2022.
“My top advice for dating an athlete is to always maintain your own identity. It’s easy to get swept up in their goals and ambitions. I had to learn early that the relationship could end at any moment, so it’s important to know what you have on your own,” she explained.
Kayla Nicole reflected on the long-distance nature of her relationship with Travis Kelce, explaining how she often traveled back and forth and felt she didn’t need her own apartment. “I was between places, thinking, ‘It’s fine, we’re going to get married, and I’ll move into his house,'” she recalled.
When they broke up, everything happened at once—her apartment lease ended, and her car lease was up.
Though they eventually got back together, that experience taught her a valuable lesson. “From then on, I decided that no matter who I’m dating, I’ll always have my own place and car. I can support their career, but my goals come first,” she emphasized.
Nicole also hinted that the public nature of their breakup, coupled with Kelce now dating Taylor Swift—one of the most famous celebrities—has been challenging for her.
Kayla Nicole described how everything combined to create “the perfect storm,” making her feel like she wanted to disappear from the world entirely.
She shared that behind closed doors, the toughest part was losing not just a partner, but her best friend. Going from talking every day to cutting off all contact was hard enough, but adding the pressures of social media made it even worse.
Nicole admitted, “I’d be lying if I said the hate and chaos online didn’t affect me, even now. You can look at my latest posts, and people still debate my worth.”
She emphasized that it’s not about her, but rather the level of fame that draws out extreme reactions from people, which she finds unfortunate because she doesn’t believe she’s done anything to deserve such harsh criticism.
Despite everything, Nicole spoke kindly of Kelce, referring to him as “the best tight end” in the NFL and reflecting positively on their time together.
“It was a great period in my life,” Kayla Nicole shared, reflecting on her time with Travis Kelce. “He’s a great guy, and I learned a lot from that experience.”
Nicole also humorously mentioned that she would likely avoid dating athletes in the future and hopes to steer clear of another highly publicized relationship.
Kelce and Taylor Swift made their relationship public in September 2023, when Swift was seen sitting next to his mother, Donna, at a Chiefs game at Arrowhead Stadium.