The Stunning Transformation Of Travis Kelce's Ex Kayla Nicole

Unlike other WAGs, when Kayla Nicole first began dating Kansas City Chiefs star Travis Kelce, she had a budding career of her own. The pair frequently made headlines for their adorable Instagram photos and fashion looks. Despite being on and off over the years, Kelce and Nicole's relationship seemed to be moving in the right direction. Nicole grew close to the Kelce family members, including mom and NFL fan-favorite Donna Kelce, and was always on the field celebrating with Travis after major games like the Super Bowl. As a longtime girlfriend, many fans expected Nicole to pop up on the NFL sideline one day flashing an expensive engagement ring and a "Mrs. Kelce" jersey. However, the two shockingly broke up before that could happen, and Travis's next move is something that even the alleged NFL script writers couldn't have written. 

With Taylor Swift now in the picture, Travis's former girlfriend has had her name and face plastered everywhere, causing many to look for signs of bad blood between Nicole and Swift. In the past, Nicole has been the interviewer and not the interviewee, but with the constant rumors swirling and trolls camping out in her comment section, she has now chosen to speak up to tell her own story. Here's the stunning transformation of this pageant queen-turned WAG (and now former WAG) with a voice of her own. 

Kayla Nicole may be a former WAG, but in her earlier years, she was an athlete herself. During a guest appearance on WNBA star Angel Reese's podcast, "Unapologetically Angel," the model revealed her past life as a gymnast. "At the age of 5, I was a competitive gymnast up until my junior year of...high school," she told Reese. Nicole never revealed her official reason for quitting but did call gymnastics one of the most difficult sports to do, citing its tough conditioning and high risk for injuries. After choosing to walk away from the sport, Nicole ended up growing six inches taller over the next two years. Despite her tall stature, she never pursued other sports, which is something she jokingly blames on her parents. "Nobody knew I was going to be tall... Had we known, I probably would've done like volleyball or I would've for sure hooped," she revealed. "I love basketball, but no one ever put a ball in my hand and pushed me to do it."

Despite never pursuing basketball, others in her family excelled at it. For example, at the time of writing, her younger sister, Jayda Curry, plays basketball for the University of Louisville. In 2020, Nicole shouted her out on Instagram for landing a scholarship. In the lengthy caption, she poked fun at her lack of basketball skills. "She's a leader, intelligent, dedicated, and extremely talented," Nicole wrote. "She's honestly lucky I never hooped, cause I know I would have been giving her this work in our driveway from the jump."

Kayla Nicole always had dreams of being in front of the camera, reporting on events and having a platform of her own. The model and influencer attended Pepperdine University and graduated in 2013. In an interview on "Unapologetically Angel" with Angel Reese, Nicole revealed that she received a scholarship from that university and was attracted to the journalism program there. Despite pursuing her journalism career there, the sports reporter ultimately regretted choosing a school in Los Angeles because it kept her so close to home. "My mom convinced me that I should stay local, which was just like, a mistake..." she revealed. "I wanted to spread my wings and venture out... the experience was wack."

While expressing her regret, Nicole noted the school's lack of a football team and lackluster basketball team, something that, as an aspiring sports reporter, probably didn't provide her with much to report about. The influencer also complained about the campus having strict curfews for students and a no-alcohol policy. "It was just like boarding school," she said. When asked what college she would've loved to have attended, she listed Hampton University and the University of Southern California as colleges more her speed. Despite Pepperdine's lack of athletics and on-campus fun, Nicole went on to graduate there in 2013 with a bachelor's degree in broadcast journalism.

While attending Pepperdine University, Kayla Nicole made a name for herself when she competed for the coveted title of Miss Malibu. In a 2012 interview with the Pepperdine University Graphic, the then-20-year-old spoke about how the pageant world has offered her a great field to build connections in as an aspiring broadcast journalist. "I am such a competitive person, so the opportunity to network career-wise as well as be involved in a competition was the best of both worlds for me," she shared. She went on to place third runner-up. Despite never winning the Miss Malibu title, Nicole had fun competing. "I talk, people listen, and I own the stage," she said with a laugh while discussing the pageant world highlights. "It seems rather narcissistic but as a Broadcast News major, it's the ultimate high point."

After graduating, Nicole went from owning the pageant stage to strutting across runways as a model. In 2023, she returned to the runway during New York Fashion Week. "I haven't been on a runway in AGES. Years. Decades," she wrote on Instagram. "So it felt really good to celebrate this version of my body."  Runway walks might have become rare for Nicole, but posing behind the camera for big brands is what she does often. On her Tribe Therepē website, Nicole highlights her work as an ambassador for fitness brands like Alo, Amino Lean, and Fabletics. Outside of fitness brands, she has also served as an ambassador for fashion brands like Revolve and Savage X Fenty.

After graduating with her broadcast journalism degree in 2013, Kayla Nicole had one goal in mind: landing in front of the camera as a respected reporter. After landing a multitude of hosting gigs, Nicole proudly shared a reel of her best moments in 2018 as a highlight for her followers of her true passion and talent. Her three-minute reel featured her reporting live for LakersTV during NBA legend Kobe Bryant's last ever basketball game, interviewing movie stars like Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler for GlobalGrind, and appearing in street videos for HotNewHipHop. "[H]osting is where my heart is," she captioned the reel on Instagram. She also uploaded it to her YouTube page.

In 2025, Nicole made a grand return to covering sports and joined former NFL star Brandon Marshall on the REVOLT Sports platform, as announced by The Grio. The show, titled "Revolt Sports Weekly," was expected to share captivating interviews with high-profile athletes and entertainers like Aaron Rodgers, Dak Prescott, and Lil Wayne.

To many people, Kayla Nicole is known for being Travis Kelce's ex-girlfriend, but what many don't know is how her on-and-off relationship with Kelce began. It all started in 2017 with a cheeky DM. As TMZ reported in 2022, Nicole revealed how she first connected with the NFL star in an Instagram story. "He had been following me and insta-flirting for months. All double taps and no DMs," she wrote with an eye roll emoji. "So after a little liquid courage and a pep talk... (something along the lines of WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?) I DM'd him on New Years." Nicole came up with a witty opening line that ultimately caught Kelce's attention. "I messaged him saying, "My mom says it's rude to stare and not speak," she wrote.

Though Nicole's story is cute and can inspire more girls to make the first move, there was one girl out there who found the relationship timeline sketchy. Shortly after the couple went public with their romance, Kelce's ex-girlfriend, Maya Benberry, (who won his short-lived dating reality show, "Catching Kelce"), posted a series of tweets that accused him of cheating. "When you and your ex broke up 5 months ago but you find out via social media that he has supposedly been in another relationship for 6," she wrote on X, formerly Twitter. "A lot of overlapping here," she wrote in another tweet (via The Shade Room).

Kayla Nicole's romance with Travis Kelce had a few hiccups along the way. As TMZ reported in August 2020, Nicole fueled breakup rumors when she unfollowed the NFL star and wiped photos of him off her Instagram. Rumors of Kelce being unfaithful began circulating, causing him to take to X, formerly known as Twitter, to shut it down. "This is fake news ... a lie ... and not why Kayla and I broke up," Kelce said in a tweet he later deleted (via TMZ). "Take all your hatred somewhere else please." 

By December 2020, TMZ reported that the pair were back on, just in time for the holidays, after Kelce confirmed it during an Instagram live. However, by May 2022, the two split for good. The breakup made headlines when Barstool Sports reported that the reason for the split was Kelce allegedly being way too frugal. The source alleged that Kelce made Nicole go half on everything throughout their five-year relationship.

The rumor caused a firestorm on social media, forcing Kelce to publicly deny ever being that cheap. He addressed the rumor on the "The Pivot" podcast in 2023 saying, "How crazy is that? Don't buy into that s**t!" Nicole later denied ever going 50/50 during their relationship on the "Unapologetically Angel" podcast 2024. When Kelce struck up a romance with A-list superstar Taylor Swift, his breakup with Nicole was back under a microscope with the sports journalist facing the wrath of Swifities.

In October 2023, just three months after Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce's budding romance took over the media and NFL games, Kayla Nicole broke her silence. After being on the receiving end of trolls online, Nicole posted an empowering open letter to Black girls on her Instagram. "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," she said before sharing the letter. "Dear Black girl... they'll say you deserve the backlash and embarrassment. Because of your Blackness, you should have known better. They'll even try to tie your value to your net worth. But Black girl, please remember your value lies elsewhere."

The sports reporter encouraged others on the receiving end of hate to not feed into the negativity. She reminded other Black girls out there that they are always enough and that they are never on their own. "Remember that you are a part of something way bigger," said Nicole. During an episode of "I Am Athlete Daily," an emotional Nicole broke down in tears while discussing the hate she received. Nicole shared that the backlash didn't get to her until after she saw how it pained her mother. "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," she explained. She called it a learning experience that taught her not everything is deserving of a response.

Splitting with your boyfriend after five years would be tough for anyone, especially if he begins dating one of the biggest pop stars in the world. For Kayla Nicole, the breakup with Travis Kelce and the media scrutiny made 2023 an overwhelming year for her. The sports reporter revealed in an interview with People that despite keeping up with her fitness, she was in a terrible place emotionally during that time. "I'm posting content and people are like, 'You look so good. Tell us your tricks. You look amazing.' And I'm like, 'I'm miserable. I'm miserable. I'm depressed,'" Nicole shared. "My abs were amazing, I had a six-pack. And it was like, 'I had never felt so bad in my life.'"

After realizing that exercising wasn't enough to get her out of the rut, Nicole sought out a therapist. A therapist helped her realize that being healthy is more than just working out ––mental health matters, too. That experience inspired her to launch Tribe Therepē, which encourages followers to incorporate mental health into their wellness routines. According to Sports Illustrated Lifestyle, the fitness-centered brand was originally launched in 2020 as "Strong Is Sexy" or "SIS" for short. Despite the rebrand, Tribe Therepē is committed to focusing on mental and physical wellness. "I think that when your mind is in a healthy, solid, safe space, the likelihood that your body will follow is just almost guaranteed," Nicole explained. She hopes to share what she learned in therapy with those who can't afford it themselves.

If you or someone you know needs help with mental health, please contact the Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741, call the National Alliance on Mental Illness helpline at 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), or visit the National Institute of Mental Health website.

As a broadcast host, Kayla Nicole is no stranger to appearing on television. While on screen, she typically has a microphone in her hand and the attention is solely on what she's reporting. However, in 2024, Deadline revealed that Kayla Nicole would appear on screen, but this time it would be on a reality show. She was cast alongside 15 other celebrities on Season 3 of Fox's "Special Forces: World's Toughest Test," where they would endure the harshest training and challenges led by former Special Forces operatives.

Reality television is definitely a major career shift for Nicole, which made her skeptical about joining the show at first. "I had to do a little research on [the show] and once I did that I called my manager back and said, 'Are you out of your mind? Call the next girl. Wrong girl!'" she joked to ExtraTV. What ultimately helped change her mind was wanting to challenge herself to take on a tough battle. "I think for me, I really wanted to prove to myself that I can do terrifyingly, hard, exhausting things," she explained. "Life is not that difficult in hindsight. It put things in perspective for me and I just really want to prove to myself that I can do really hard things." While on the show, she revealed a more vulnerable side to herself. During one episode, she broke down in tears while discussing how the online hate regarding Taylor Swift made her question her value.

Despite Kayla Nicole's relationship with Travis Kelce lasting five years, and hinting that she thought it would end up in marriage, Nicole isn't too keen on jumping into a relationship with another athlete. When asked if she would ever date an athlete again, Nicole told the "Behind The Likes" podcast that she's searching for something else. "I'll never say never, but I fully, wholeheartedly believe that I am out of the athlete stage," Nicole said. The sports journalist revealed the type of men she sees herself now going for. "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... that's my kind of guy."

On the "Unapologetically Angel" podcast, Nicole spoke about the WAG life and some of its struggles. She advised women dating athletes to always prioritize their own career goals. "Something that I had to learn early on was your relationship can be over tomorrow and what do you have? You have no leg to stand on, no home to go back to, no career to fall back on," Nicole shared. One thing that might have changed after leaving the Kansas City Chiefs WAG lifestyle is her complicated relationship with Brittany Mahomes and other WAGs.