Kayla Nicole Says She's Done with Dating Athletes After Travis Kelce Relationship: 'I'm Good'

Nicole dated the Kansas City Chiefs tight end on and off for five years between 2017 and 2022

Kayla Nicole arrives as Smirnoff Celebrates Super Bowl LVI With The Pre Game Party For The People Quarterbacked by Anthony Anderson and Mama Doris on February 12, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Kayla Nicole arrives as Smirnoff Celebrates Super Bowl LVI With The Pre Game Party For The People . Photo:

Jon Kopaloff/Getty

  • Fitness guru Kayla Nicole got candid about her dating life in a new podcast appearance
  • The sports influencer said she "wholeheartedly" believes she's "out of the athlete stage" during the interview
  • Nicole dated Chiefs star Travis Kelce on and off for five years between 2017 and 2022

Kayla Nicole, who dated Chiefs star Travis Kelce for five years, says she's done dating professional athletes, and now the fitness guru is opening up about the decision.

Nicole, 32, spoke candidly about her dating life during a recent appearance on Behind the Likes, a podcast focusing on social media influencers. "I'll never say never, but I fully, wholeheartedly believe that I am out of the athlete stage," Nicole said on the show.

The popular influencer, who officially called it quits with 34-year-old Kelce in 2022, continued, "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."

Nicole recalled attending "sporting events" – she regularly supported Kelce at Chiefs games with Brittany Mahomes – "because I have a jersey on with someone's name on the back."

Now, the former Lakers in-arena host says she "did that," and while "it was fun" at the time, she's concluded, "I'm good."

While she's not interested in athletes, Nicole said she'd still love to date someone who shares her passion for sports. "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 at the Laker game; that’s my kind of guy," she said.

Kayla Nicole attends Rémy Martin x Usher's "4 On The Floor" Skate Event at Playa Studios on August 23, 2023 in Culver City, California
Kayla Nicole.

Charley Gallay/Getty

In October, Nicole opened up about getting over "a major breakup" with the help of therapy during an interview with PEOPLE. "It was like I was working out, I was in really great shape, but I felt like sh-- and I was sad, and I was having a hard time getting out of bed. It got to the point where I was like, 'Okay, what else can I possibly do?' " she shared.

"So, I started going to therapy and quickly realized, okay, it's one thing to be physically fit, but it's another thing to be mentally fit. You could be in the best shape of your life, but mentally, if you are not a healthy person, it's not going to feel good."

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Later in the podcast, Nicole said she recently "turned off" her comments on social media. "You can't DM me anymore because people just talk crazy, and I've had enough," she revealed. "I'm exhausted, I'm tired. It's a new year and, to be honest, it's the same me. So, in order for it to be a new me, I need to do some new things."

Kayla Nicole attends Revolve x AT&T Present Revolve Winterland on December 08, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.
Kayla Nicole attends Revolve x AT&T Present Revolve Winterland on December 08, 2022 in Los Angeles, California.

Jon Kopaloff/Getty 

Nicole said those "new things" start with "protecting my peace" and preventing internet trolls from "saying anything else" directly to her on social media. "You can talk to a black hole — comments off."

Speaking to PEOPLE in October, Nicole explained why she unfollowed her former close friends, Brittany and Patrick Mahomes, on Instagram after the couple began spending time with Kelce and Swift.

"I do think it's important to publicly address this because I did publicly unfollow people," Nicole said. "The reality is I know these people in real life. And so, in real life, I've communicated to these people why I've had to publicly make the decisions that I made."

Travis Kelce's Ex Kayla Nicole Unfollows Brittany and Patrick Mahomes on Instagram amid Taylor Swift Rumors
Kayla Nicole, Brittany and Patrick Mahomes.

Bennett Raglin/Getty; Steve Granitz/FilmMagic

Nicole and Brittany, 28, grew close during Nicole's five-year relationship with Kelce. In 2022, Nicole went wedding dress shopping with Brittany and was one of the select few to come on her eight-person bachelorette weekend.

The content creator told PEOPLE she and Brittany "have had our conversations" regarding the public display. "She knows that I love her," Nicole added. "That's a lot of history and friendship there, that doesn't change overnight," she continued. "But publicly, because things are happening so quickly and so publicly, I have to protect myself. That's really all that is. The love is still there."

"I still love my KC people and my KC community so much," she added. "But for me in my life, I have to move forward and everyone has to respect that. And hopefully when they respect that, that means that they're no longer inserting me into things that do not involve me."

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