The sports broadcaster dated the NFL star for five years before their 2022 split and has previously spoken candidly about the emotional toll of their breakup

Travis Kelce’s former girlfriend Kayla Nicole has appeared to break her silence after the NFL star announced his engagement to Taylor Swift.

The Kansas City Chiefs tight end, 35, proposed to the pop superstar earlier this month following two years of dating, with the couple confirming the news in a joint Instagram post on Tuesday – which has since become the most liked post in Instagram history.

“Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” they wrote in the caption, alongside photos of Kelce on one knee in a flower-filled garden.

Swift, also 35, was pictured in tears as she embraced her new fiancé and showed off a striking diamond ring set on a gold band.

Kayla Nicole previously dated Travis Kelce for five years
Instagram @Kayla Nicole

The engagement sparked a flood of well-wishes from fellow celebrities including Selena Gomez and Lena Dunham. Yet it was Kelce’s ex-girlfriend Nicole, 33, who drew attention with a cryptic Instagram Story just hours later.

Nicole, a sports broadcaster who dated the NFL star for five years before their 2022 split, shared a clip of actress Tracee Ellis Ross reflecting on the difference between happiness and joy.

Overlaying the post, Nicole wrote: “Read about this very concept years ago in a book called Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn’t Enough. I aspire! So so good.”

In the clip, Ross says: “I think joy is different from happiness. Happiness is something you can get at 7/11, and joy is something you earn and work for. Joy creates space and allows for room for more than just a good day. I think joy is an attitude, a perspective, a lens through which I live and look at my life.”

Nicole’s choice of words quickly sparked speculation among fans, given her history with Kelce and the highly public nature of his new romance with Swift.

She has previously spoken candidly about the emotional toll of their breakup, particularly as it coincided with the start of Kelce’s relationship with the global superstar.

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“Going through a public breakup, just to be frank, it’s been overwhelming,” she admitted on Special Forces: World’s Toughest Test earlier this year. “It’s pretty constant and exhausting… I could post about the sky being blue and people will have a response about an ex and their new situation.”

While Nicole has acknowledged the pressure of constant comparisons to Swift, she has also stressed there is no animosity. “I really like her,” she said of the singer. “I think she’s very talented.”