Kayla Nicole put her ‘dreams on the back burner’ to support ex Travis Kelce during their relationship: It was a ‘struggle’

Kayla Nicole is sharing her relationship regrets nearly three years after her and Travis Kelce’s breakup.

The “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” star described the “struggle” and “challenge” of dating a professional athlete while speaking to People Friday.

“[It] is a choice,” she said. “Their schedules require a lot. Especially if it’s long distance and you find yourself kind of putting your goals and your dreams on the back burner to support theirs.”

Kayla Nicole reflected on the biggest “challenge” and “struggle” in her past relationship with Travis Kelce. Getty Images for Moet & Chandon The “Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test” star said she put her “dreams on the back burner.” Getty Images She advised women dating athletes, “Remember who you are.” FilmMagic

Nicole noted, “Finding that balance in life is definitely a struggle. … So to anyone that’s dating a pro athlete, I always say, ‘Girl, put you first. Love your man down — but also remember who you are and what your goals are too.'”

She also set the record straight on living a “glamorous lifestyle” while in a relationship with an NFL star.

“It’s another human, and it’s another man,” Nicole said. “And I will stand on this hill that dating men in general is a challenge. So I don’t care what his job is. If he’s an athlete, a doctor, a lawyer, he works at FedEx, good luck.”

She noted that a pro athlete’s “schedule requires a lot.” FilmMagic Nicole and Kelce dated on and off from 2017 to 2022. Getty Images

She called “men … the problem these days.”

The 33-year-old went on to explain why she never identified herself as a WAG, which stands for wives and girlfriends of famous athletes, while dating Kelce, 35, on and off from 2017 to 2022.

“Doctors’ wives don’t call themselves DAGs. You know what I mean?” the sports broadcaster quipped. “I don’t know why that even became a thing.”

The reality star never identified herself as a WAG during that time. NBAE via Getty Images She claimed her “success has been attributed to” the people she was once “in close proximity” with. NHLI via Getty Images

She added, “My success has been attributed to people that I was in close proximity to. That’s something that happens to women all the time, especially just in the entertainment industry and public fields.”

Nicole has recently been reflecting on her romance with the tight end while competing on “Special Forces.”

On a January episode, she spoke to her co-stars about getting “a lot of s–t” from Taylor Swift’s fans since Kelce moved on with the pop star in the summer of 2023.

Kelce moved on with Taylor Swift in 2023. Getty Images Nicole has since received “a lot of s–t” from Swifties. iamkaylanicole/Instagram

Nicole clarified that she “likes” the Grammy winner, calling her “super talented.”

The Tribe Therepē previously addressed the “backlash and embarrassment” when she issued an open letter on social media in October 2023.

That same month, she unfollowed Kelce’s — and now Swift’s — friends Patrick Mahomes and Brittany Mahomes on Instagram, later confirming that she is “not as cool” with the couple as she “once” was.