"Finding balance is a struggle": Travis Kelce's ex Kayla Nicole gets honest about chosing to date an athlete

Travis Kelce's ex, Kayla Nicole, opened up about life while dating an athlete. The social media influencer was in an on-and-off relationship with the Chiefs' tight-end player. However, the couple called it quits for good back in 2022. Moving ahead, Kelce went on to date Taylor Swift.

In an exclusive interview with PEOPLE published on February 7, 2025, Kayla Nicole opened up about her relationship with Kelce and also reflected on the life of dating an athlete. She called it a choice and admitted that it could be "challenging for any woman" because of the tight schedule of the players.

"I think that dating an athlete is a choice and can be a challenge for any woman because I think that their schedules require a lot," Nicole said. "Especially if it's long distance and you find yourself kind of putting your goals and your dreams on the back burner to support theirs. So I think finding that balance in life is definitely a struggle."

Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole had come together just five months after the NFL star had a breakup with Maya Benberry. They met on social media before their love story started, and in 2017, they even made their relationship official. The couple attended several events together and had a good relationship for around three years before they broke up in August 2020.

However, in November 2020, they got back together and dated for around one and a half years before they finally parted ways in May 2022.

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Kayla Nicole reflects on dealing with trolls after her breakup with Travis Kelce

Travis Kelce and Kayla Nicole's relationship was in the headlines while they were dating. However, after their breakup, the social media influencer faced trolling on the internet.

In the second episode of Special Forces: World's Toughest Test last month, Kayla Nicole opened up about dealing with online trolls post her breakup.

"Going through a public breakup, just to be frank, it's been overwhelming. I've never experienced anything like it, reduced to a headline to something so small as someone's ex-girlfriend," she said (via People).

The breakup with Travis Kelce was challenging for Kayla Nicole, and reportedly, she underwent therapy for her mental and physical well-being as reported by People. Nicole recently won the third season of Special Forces: World's Toughest Test.