CELEBRITY
Travis Kelce’s ex Kayla Nicole bursts into tears over Angel Reese podcast backlash
An emotional Kayla Nicole broke down in tears while discussing her controversial appearance on WNBA star Angel Reese’s podcast last week.
Nicole was grilled by Reese on the podcast about her former relationship with NFL icon Travis Kelce, whom she dated on and off for five years before his romance with Taylor Swift.
Over the course of the interview, the 32-year-old influencer made a series of revelations about her and Kelce – including that they cannot speak if they see each other in public due to his new ‘situation’ with Swift.
She also opened up on the impact abuse from the pop megastar’s die-hard legion of fans has had on her in recent months, while admitting her fallout with Kansas City Chiefs WAGs she used to consider friends.
Nicole was heavily criticized over the podcast last week, with Swift’s avid supporters again targeting Kelce’s ex on social media, telling her to ‘get over’ her relationship with him and move on.
Now she has addressed the interview with Reese during her latest ‘I Am Athlete Daily’ podcast alongside former NFL players Brandon Marshall and Martellus Bennett.
‘Sitting down and doing a podcast, I felt like there were moments where I articulated myself in a really good way, and there were moments where if I could go back I would maybe change the way that I said things because it didn’t fully embody my character or my heart,’ Nicole admitted. ‘But that’s something that I’m learning.’
The broadcaster became emotional later in the podcast when discussing the backlash to her appearance on Reese’s podcast, admitting that her mother’s reaction to the negative response was most upsetting.
I thought that I handled things with grace,’ she said as she fought back the tears. ‘Thought that I answered the questions to the best of my ability. The public had their interpretation of things… didn’t matter to me.
My mom calls me, though. And it’s those conversations, that’s what matters to me because she’s offended. She’s hurt by the way people are perceiving her daughter. She’s hurt by the negative headlines and the way people are spinning it.
And even my mom was like, “Maybe next time, we don’t answer those questions,” and it’s simple as that. Don’t give it any energy. You don’t always have to respond.
‘I’ve been on that soap box for a long time. I don’t always have to respond.’
Nicole and Kelce went their separate ways in 2022, a year before the Chiefs star found romance again with Swift.
Over the past year Travis and Taylor have dominated headlines as one of the most famous celebrity couples on the planet, with the frenzy over their love affair showing no sign of slowing down.
Nicole opened up on the abuse she has received from ‘Swifties’ on Reese’s podcast amid her ex’s new high-profile relationship, saying: ‘I think the combination of everything is the perfect storm to make you want to disappear from the world entirely,’ she told Reese about how much it impacted her.
Behind closed doors, the hardest part is losing a partner, a best friend, speaking every day to cutting ties. Then you throw in social media.
‘I would be lying if I said that that level of hate and online chaos didn’t impact me, even to this day. You could go to my most recent posts and people would be debating why I am worthless.
It is nothing to do with me. I think there is something about that level of fame that attracts crazy people, which is unfortunate because I don’t think I have done anything to warrant that kind of backlash.’