Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Chiefs' Kelce: 'Just got to keep living' as relationship with Taylor Swift consumes spotlight

Share
KANSAS CITY, Mo. -

Travis Kelce has long prided himself on his ability to compartmentalize his personal life and his professional life.

That ability has been put to the test the past few weeks.

Ever since the All-Pro tight end's budding relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift surfaced shortly before the Kansas City Chiefs' game against the Chicago Bears last month, Kelce has become an A-list headline-maker in his own right. He learned that when paparazzi staked out Swift's apartment in New York last week, capturing the moment he walked out the morning before the Chiefs played the Jets, while other photographers have been scoping out his own residence in the Kansas City area.

"We're learning with the paparazzi taking photos all over the place," Kelce admitted Friday, "but at the same time it comes with it. You've just got to keep living and enjoying the moments."

Neither of the parties have divulged much about their relationship, and Kelce didn't go into details Friday when he spoke to the media for the first time in weeks. But given that Swift has twice appeared in a suite to watch Kelce play, including alongside his mother Donna Kelce, it is easy to see why there has been such an intense focus on the duo.

The timing couldn't be much better for either of them.

Kelce turned 34 on Thursday and is much closer to the end of his career than the beginning, and the elevation of his profile will no doubt help his post-football career. His podcast with his brother and Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce, called "New Heights," has soared in popularity, and Kelce's mustachioed mug is suddenly popping up in advertisements and commercials for everything from State Farm and Hy-Vee to Pfizer and Experian.

Swift is on a break from her "The Eras" tour, but a film about it is due to begin playing in at least 8,500 theaters across 100 countries next week. The movie chain AMC Entertainment Holdings, which happens to be based in suburban Kansas City, said it had sold more than $100 million in advance tickets, and produced the highest single-day ticket revenue in its history.

Meanwhile, the NFL and its broadcast partners are keen to take advantage of the pop culture moment.

Asked whether Kelce was surprised by the sudden interest in him, and his relationship with Swift, he replied: "It's worldwide, man -- worldwide. It's been magnified for sure."

All the while, Kelce has been trying to help the Chiefs defend their Super Bowl title. They've won three straight after losing their opener to Detroit, and they are favored heading to Minnesota on Sunday. (No word on whether Swift will attend.)

"It felt like I was on top of the world after the Super Bowl and right now even more on top of the world," Kelce said after Friday afternoon's practice. "At the end of the day, I have always been pretty good about compartmentalizing and being able to stay focused in this building, so I'm just going to keep rolling with that."

Indeed, Kelce always has juggled a life away from football.

In 2016, he starred in his own reality dating show, coincidentally, called "Catching Kelce." He's pitched plenty of products and services. And he's played in numerous high-profile golf tournaments, such as a made-for-TV match alongside Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes against the NBA's Klay Thompson and Stephen Curry just before the start of this season.

Yet none of it has ever affected his performance. Kelce had never missed a game to injury since his rookie season before a hyperextended knee kept him out against the Lions; he has played every game since. And he is riding a streak of at least 1,000 yards receiving in seven straight seasons, resulting in eight trips to the Pro Bowl and four first-team All-Pro nods.

His success is a big reason for the Chiefs' success. They've won the last seven AFC West titles, hosted the last five conference championship games and won two of the three Super Bowls they have appeared in over the past four seasons.

Kelce's profile has never been higher, though, thanks to the aura that Swift has cast upon him.

"I know I brought this on myself," he said. "I've been fortunate to have fun with it. That's all that really matters, that it's not pissing anybody off (within the Chiefs) at least. Like I said earlier, I've been pretty good at compartmentalizing and making sure my focus is on winning the game, and I don't see that changing any time soon."

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

The calls are growing louder for city council to tighten the rules governing short-term accommodations, including those advertised on websites like Airbnb and Vrbo, after students arrived by the busload at a rented house in the Masonville neighbourhood.

Miley Cyrus and Dolly Parton are apparently distant relatives

Genealogy and family tree tracking site Ancestry announced on Monday that by using “billions of historical records and public family trees,†they’ve discovered that the two music powerhouses are actually seventh cousins, once removed.

Local Spotlight

Giant gourds took over a Manitoba community this weekend.

Fire has destroyed a barn and 17,000 plants at a family-owned business in Lower Coverdale, N.B.

Before influencers on social media, Canada’s Jeanne Beker was bringing the world of high fashion down to earth and as Calgary’s Glenbow Museum gets a major make-over, it will include a new exhibition showcasing the pop culture icon.

A sea lion swam free after a rescue team disentangled it near Vancouver Island earlier this week.

A Nova Scotian YouTuber has launched a mini-truck bookmobile.

Cole Haas is more than just an avid fan of the F.W. Johnson Wildcats football team. He's a fixture on the sidelines, a source of encouragement, and a beloved member of the team.

Getting a photograph of a rainbow? Common. Getting a photo of a lightning strike? Rare. Getting a photo of both at the same time? Extremely rare, but it happened to a Manitoba photographer this week.

An anonymous business owner paid off the mortgage for a New Brunswick not-for-profit.

They say a dog is a man’s best friend. In the case of Darren Cropper, from Bonfield, Ont., his three-year-old Siberian husky and golden retriever mix named Bear literally saved his life.