Travis Kelce's Ex Issues Statement After Backlash from Taylor Swift Fans
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Kayla Nicole, Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift
Kayla Nicole, a model and former girlfriend of Travis Kelce, is speaking out following the “backlash and embarrassment” she has received as the NFL star and Taylor Swift's suspected romance heats up.
On Monday, Oct. 9, the 31-year-old, who dated Kelce on and off again from 2017 until 2022, addressed the situation in an open letter she shared via Instagram, which she began with a disclaimer. "It's always been really important for me to use my platform not to create division but to elevate and unite women," she said. “Black women, specifically."
The lengthy statement–made just weeks after Kelce, 34, and the 33-year-old Grammy winner were spotted cozying up together in public–went on, explaining that since the rumored couple took the world by storm, Swifties have been leaving “immature and unnecessary comments” including gifs of the singer under her Instagram posts, pitting the two women against each other.
"They may call you a traitor for falling in love. You’ll hope the ones closest will protect you but quickly realize people don’t protect what they don’t value," hinting at a potential reason for her unfollowing the Kansas City tight end's teammate Patrick Mahomes, his wife Brittany and his brother Jackson, on Instagram.
"They’ll say you’re too much, too provocative, too boisterous, too outspoken, and in the same breath, tell you that you're not enough," the sports commentator said. "Not successful enough, not wholesome enough, maybe not even intelligent enough."
"They'll say you deserve the backlash and embarrassment," Nicole continued, "They'll even try to tie your value to your net worth. But Black girl, please remember your value lies elsewhere."
"Your value is deep within your heart–the way you love, the way you give–your value is in your resilience, your willingness to forgive," she said before encouraging her listeners not to "participate in this tumultuous, often one-sided journey" and not "engage."
"Preserve your heart even when they try to quantify your character and test your boundaries," she shared. "You do not have to engage, you do not have to respond. Because there is power in your silence."
That power, Nicole said, can also be used to "silence the noise and the voices that want you to give in to this demoralizing and antiquated narrative."
She explained that a singular experience does not write one's story, "My truth, trauma and vulnerability is a relatable part of the human experience, I know I'm not alone...On days I feel most inadequate, I have to remind myself that I am, have been and will always be more than enough."
As she continued, Nicole noted there she finds power "community and connection," adding, "When the world gets dark and time gets hard and you feel like your back is against the wall and your hands are tied and nobody knows what it’s like to be you … this is only a small chapter in your story."
Nicole concluded, highlighting helpful resources for getting through tough times, like "therapy, prayer [and] community." Her statement comes about two weeks after Kelce's other ex-girlfriend, Maya Benberry, warned the "Cruel Summer" songstress about her budding romance.
Next: Travis Kelce's Mom Donna Officially Weighs in on Son's Taylor Swift Romance
