Kayla Nicole isn't holding anything back. During her guest stint on the "Second Wind" podcast, the 33-year-old media personality bared her soul about still being labeled as Travis Kelce's ex, despite their five-year, on-and-off romance coming to an end in 2022. On the May 6 episode, hosted by five-time Olympian Marion Jones and acclaimed entrepreneur Suzanne Evans, Nicole opened up.
"Initially, I was new to the terrain of being a public figure," Nicole confessed. "I don't consider myself a celebrity, but as a public figure, absolutely."
"I think I could have benefited from some PR training and learning how to maneuver in this media landscape because I went into interviews with a naive mindset, thinking, 'Oh, they just want to hear my story,'" she shared.
While Nicole always approached interviews with the innocent belief that readers or listeners were genuinely interested in her "wellness journey" and "Tribe Therapy," she's come to realize that interviewers' intentions aren't always sincere.
"You sit down for an hour-long interview, and the headline might just be a one-sentence snippet of you saying, 'Yeah, I was heartbroken and devastated after the breakup,' and that becomes the focal point," she lamented.
"It's like, 'So-and-so's ex is still devastated, sad, and depressed,'" Nicole continued. "I'm like, 'Damn, girl, did you even listen to anything I said? I'm human, and I take it with a grain of salt now. One day, they're going to have to stop calling me someone's ex.'"
"I don't know if that means I have to publicly date someone else, but they're just going to have to move on," she pondered aloud during the episode. "Until then, I'm going to ride this off into the sunset... I want you all to report on me and the things I'm doing."
She added that she ultimately chooses to share her experiences publicly to help others going through similar situations.
"I believe there's a life out there, a woman who feels like what she's experiencing is unique," she said. "So, if I can make her feel seen and understood, and if I can make it out of something like this, then that's my purpose here."
Nicole concluded, "Other than that, I don't care. I simply don't care."
This isn't the first time Nicole has reflected on the challenges she faced after her very public breakup with Kelce.
Earlier in April, during the debut episode of "The Pre-Game" podcast, the media personality answered a fan's question about whether dating someone in the public eye had "altered" her approach to relationships.
Although she never mentioned the Kansas City Chiefs tight end by name, Nicole left no doubt when she responded, "Absolutely." She asserted that the public "will never see me with a man again until I'm married with kids."
The reporter started dating the record-breaking NFL star in 2017, and their tumultuous relationship continued for five years, marked by frequent breaks and reconciliations.
