Travis Kelce shared his thoughts on marriage and building a lasting relationship shortly before he and Taylor Swift revealed their engagement.
Just before the NFL star and the 14-time Grammy winner, both 35, announced their engagement on Aug. 26, Kelce opened up in a GQ profile about what marriage means to him.
“The handful of my friends whose parents are still together and still thriving — those are situations I would love to have,” said Kelce, whose parents Donna and Ed divorced after he and his brother Jason finished college.
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“Not that I think my parents handled it the wrong way or anything like that,” he added. “It’s more so, if we’re gonna start this and do it, why not try and make it last forever? Not just in a ‘it’s just for the kids’ kind of way.”
Donna and Ed previously discussed their decision to stay together until their sons graduated in the 2023 documentary Kelce, explaining that the boys’ sports schedules made separating earlier too complicated.
In his GQ profile, Kelce also reflected on the traits his fiancée shares with his mother. “Their kindness, their genuineness, their ability to say hello to everyone in the room,” he said of Swift and Donna. “Their ability to show love and support no matter what. And on top of that, their work ethic.”
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Kelce praised both women for their determination and drive: “I saw my mother reach goals she had set for herself, going from being a teller to working all the way up in the KeyBank building,” he said. “I’ve seen Taylor do the exact same thing — setting goals, exceeding expectations, and captivating the world in that regard.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Kelce reflected on how his relationship with Swift developed.
“When there is not a camera on us, we’re just two people that are in love,” he explained. “It can be perceived as something else because of how much it’s talked about and how much we’re tracked whenever we go out, but I’d say it’s as normal as any other relationship. It happened very organically, even if from a media standpoint it was being followed.”
Swift and Kelce shared their engagement news on Aug. 26 in a joint Instagram post, featuring photos of the tight end down on one knee surrounded by flowers. Their caption read: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married 🧨.”
