Travis Kelce's Ex Kayla Nicole Accidentally Confirms She's Still Not Over Him

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Travis Kelce, the world-famous tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs, had another high-profile relationship with Kayla Nicole that spanned five whole years before he ever even met Taylor Swift. Starting in 2017 after a bold Instagram DM from Nicole, a media personality and fitness entrepreneur, the couple's relationship weathered multiple breakups and reconciliations before their final and conclusive split — and it seems Nicole hasn't quite recovered from it.

Their first major break occurred in 2020 amidst rumors of infidelity, which Kelce publicly denied in a since-deleted tweet: "This is fake news... a lie... and not why Kayla and I broke up," he wrote (via TMZ). "Take all your hatred somewhere else please."

By late 2020, they were back together. Yet, by May 2022, the relationship had ended again — this time, for good. Rumors swirled about financial disagreements, including Kelce being cheap, but he later dismissed these claims in an interview. "I would never say that I was supporting her. She had a very financially stable life and what she was doing in her career," he told "The Pivot Podcast" in January 2023. Fast forward to today, and Kelce and Swift are still going strong while Nicole continues to get candid about the emotional toll of the spring 2022 breakup. A recent revelation from a reality competition series (of all places) has fans wondering if Nicole has fully closed this chapter of her life like she's led us to believe all this time.

Kayla Nicole was recently cast on Season 3 of "Special Forces," a Fox reality show that puts celebrities through extremely tough training exercises that push their physical, mental, and emotional states to the limits. In a promo clip for the January 8 premiere, Nicole gives viewers a rare unfiltered glimpse into her lingering heartbreak. In a deeply emotional moment, Nicole breaks down in tears as she speaks about the challenges of navigating a public breakup. "Going through a public breakup, it's been overwhelming," she admits, wiping away tears and whispering to a fellow contestant that her ex is none other than Travis Kelce.

This candid admission is a stark departure from Nicole's usual approach. While she has openly shared her journey post-breakup, including the mental health struggles she faced, she has generally avoided mentioning Kelce by name in such personal contexts. Instead, she's focused on promoting her professional endeavors and advocating for mental health. The "Special Forces" trailer marks a rare instance where Nicole publicly connects her personal struggles to her former relationship. All this is sure to add to the media frenzy surrounding Kelce's romance with Swift. Nicole has called out the singer's fans for their hostility toward her online, which she says has exacerbated the challenges of moving on.

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This tearful confession from Kayla Nicole has reignited speculation about whether she has truly healed from her time with Kelce. Since her very public split, she has taken major steps to distance herself from his world. Nicole unfollowed mutual friends, including Brittany Mahomes and Patrick Mahomes, on Instagram and has redirected her focus toward her professional and personal growth. Nicole relaunched her fitness brand, Tribe Therepe, and she's also gone back to dabbling in modeling and media. "It's focusing on the mental health component of working out, which is really, really important for me and really resonates with me, and really just encouraging people to mentally take care of themselves," she told People.

All of this effort to create a new narrative for herself seemed to suggest she was totally over Kelce. However, her emotional admission on "Special Forces" is a serious break from this pattern. It reveals a vulnerability she rarely shows. Unsurprisingly, moving on from an ex who's still garnering tons of inescapable media coverage isn't as easy as Nicole has tried to make us believe all this time. Her openness on "Special Forces" is a testament not only to the toll of the show but also the weight she continues to carry since splitting from Kelce in 2022.