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This was published 7 months ago

What Taylor Swift has in common with Travis Kelce’s mum

India McTaggart

Travis Kelce has said Taylor Swift reminds him of his mother.

The Super Bowl-winning Kansas City Chiefs player, 35, has previously said that his ideal partner would share some qualities with Donna Kelce.

Speaking to GQ magazine as their September cover star, the American footballer said that his mother and his pop star girlfriend share the characteristics of kindness, generosity and “their ability to say hello to everyone in the room”.

Travis Kelce says girlfriend Taylor Swift has traits in common with his mum, including kindness.AP

He added: “Their ability to show love and support no matter what. And on top of that, their work ethic.

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“I saw my mother reach goals that she had set for herself, go from being a teller to working all the way up in the KeyBank building.”

Kelce, who has been dating Swift since 2023, explained: “I’ve seen Taylor do the exact same thing of setting goals for herself and exceeding the expectations and really captivating the world in that regard.”

The player has been thrust into the global spotlight since their romance was publicly confirmed with Swift’s appearance at Missouri’s Arrowhead Stadium in September 2023, when she joined Donna Kelce in her son’s VIP suite.

Since then, Swift has been pictured growing closer to both parents, who split up when Kelce and his older brother, Jason, were at university in Cincinnati.

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They remain amicable and often watch Kelce play together, sometimes accompanied by Swift’s mother, Andrea.

Kelce suggested his mother and Swift’s may have bonded over their drive and success, which has seen Swift become one of the world’s most successful artists and led Donna Kelce through a 30-year career in banking.

Donna Kelce has more recently taken up acting, and made her debut in two Hallmark films last year.

Swift used Kelce’s podcast, New Heights, to announce her 12th studio album The Life of a Showgirl, on Tuesday.

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The star made the announcement in a teaser clip from the podcast posted after a timer on her official website counted down to zero.

The clip revealed she joined the NFL star as a guest on the show, which he hosts with his brother, with the full episode set to be released at midnight on Thursday.

Speaking about his own career goals, the three-time Super Bowl winner told GQ: “Win a Super Bowl is the only goal. It’s the only goal. It’s every goal.”

Discussing the Super Bowl defeat his team suffered nearly six months ago, Kelce suggested that he had perhaps expended too much energy elsewhere.

“I think it might have slipped a little bit because I did have a little bit more focus in trying to set myself up. And opportunities came up where I was excited to venture into a new world of acting and being an entertainer,” he said.

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He added: “I don’t say this as ‘I shouldn’t have done it.’

“I’m just saying that my work ethic is such that I have so much pride in how I do things that I never want the product to tail off, and I feel like these past two years haven’t been to my standard.”

Elsewhere in the interview, he touched on the increased media scrutiny and pressure he faces since being linked to Swift two years ago.

Kelce told the magazine that he is someone “who does care” and who is unable to block the negative coverage out.

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“If someone says something that they don’t like about you, you have to be able to understand how you are portraying yourself for them to say that,” he said.

“I don’t want anyone to say anything negative about me. Some people don’t give a f---. I’m someone who does care.”

The Telegraph, London

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