Kayla Nicole previously dated Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce on and off from 2017 to 2022.
Kayla Nicole is enjoying some summer fun in the sun. Travis Kelce's ex-girlfriend shows off her own football skills while gushing over the therapeutic benefits of spending a day out on the water.
"Boat days are a form of therapy I vehemently stand by," the sports broadcaster captioned a carousel of sun-soaked images on Instagram, posing in a bikini with her backside on full display. In one video, Kayla stands on the boat and catches a football thrown her way by a man on a jet ski. In another clip, she wiggles her hips and shows off some sultry dance moves.
Kayla and Travis sparked a romance in 2017, and dated through 2022 -- albeit with a brief break in 2020.
More than a year after they split, their history was again thrust into the spotlight amid Travis' new relationship with Taylor Swift.
Prior to Kayla and Travis' relationship, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end was famously in a relationship with Maya Benberry -- the winner of his 2016 reality dating series, Catching Kelce.
Just last month, Kayla took to social media imploring online haters to leave her alone. Nicole tweeted, "I'm unproblematic. Mind my business. Never respond to the constant vitriol. Solid as they come & don't expect a pat on the back for it either."
After the NFL star and Midnights singer went public with their relationship last year, Swifties had been flooding Nicole's Instagram posts with Swift GIFS and rude comments. Nicole has since responded by taking to her Instagram page to speak out about the "embarrassment" and "backlash" that's come her way.
In October, at the height of Travis and Taylor taking the world by storm with their budding romance, Nicole told People she started embracing therapy following a "major breakup" and that she was focusing on her mental health. Nicole also shared an open letter on Instagram dubbed "Dear Black Girl."
Before reading the letter, Nicole shared that "it's always been really important for me to use my platform not to create division but to elevate and unite women, Black women specifically."
In 2018, Kayla took to Instagram to share her reel, and broke down her educational background, explaining, "I have a bachelors degree in broadcast journalism (Pepperdine University) and hosting is where my heart is."
With her mind set on hosting and broadcasting, Kayla set off into the world with her degree and snagged jobs in her field, working for ESPN, Barstool Sports and more. She's been a sideline reporter for the NFL, and reported courtside on NBA games throughout her professional career -- all this on top of her work as a model and influencer.
Her romance with Travis began in 2017, after the NFL star began messaging her on Instagram. In March 2022, Kayla participated in an Instagram Q&A and revealed how the pair first crossed paths.
"He had been following me and insta-flirting for a few months. All double taps and no DM," Kayla shared. "Soooo after a little liquid courage... I DM'd him on New Year's."
Their romance went strong until 2020, when fans noticed that Kayla had deleted all photos of Travis off her Instagram. Travis later confirmed that they had split, but vehemently denied rumors that the split was due to him cheating on her. Travis wrote in a since-deleted tweet, "This is fake news… a lie… and not why Kayla and I broke up… take all your hatred somewhere else please."
The couple didn't stay apart for long and soon rekindled their relationship, which went strong until May 2022, when they finally called things off for good.
Travis and Taylor first went public in September 2023 when she attended one of his Kansas City Chiefs games at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. Before that, he notoriously called her out on his New Heights podcast, presented by Wave Sports + Entertainment, after he was unable to meet her in person during an Eras Tour stop.
As Taylor continues the European leg of her blockbuster Eras Tour, a source recently told ET that excitement has been brewing about the couple's future together.
The source told ET, "Taylor and Travis are doing amazing, and their loved ones see an engagement coming sooner than later. They make a great match and there's no question about that."
Meanwhile, Kayla offered an update on what she's looking for in a relationship earlier this year.
"I'll never say never, but I fully, wholeheartedly believe that I am out of the athlete stage," she told hosts Winter Blanco and Chy Fontenette in January. Despite her openness to possibilities, she's firm about seeking something different from her future relationships.
Nicole expressed her attraction to men in positions of power, emphasizing her interest in executives from the music or film industry.
"I do think that I am attracted to men in positions of power and I also think that those types of men are attracted to me," she explained. "I would love to date an executive of a record label or a movie producer so that we can go to the sporting events. Let date night be courtside at the Laker game, that’s my kind of guy."
She also conveyed her contentment with leaving behind the experience of wearing a jersey with someone else's name on the back, stating, "I did that -- it was fun. I'm good."
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