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Travis Kelce<\/strong><\/a>\u2019s ex-girlfriend, Kayla Nicole<\/strong><\/a>, has broken her silence amid the attention she\u2019s received in light of the NFL player\u2019s budding romance with Taylor Swift<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n The sports broadcaster took to Instagram<\/a> on Monday, October 9, with a powerful open letter addressed to \u201cBlack girl.\u201d Though Kayla, 31, never named Travis, 34, or Taylor, 33, nor did she directly mention her former relationship with the Kansas City Chiefs player, she spoke about what it\u2019s like to receive \u201cbacklash\u201d as a Black woman.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s always been really important for me to use my platform not to create division, but to elevate and unite women. Black women specifically,\u201d Kayla said in her opening statement. \u201cSo I prepared a letter and would like to share it with you today.\u201d<\/p>\n The influencer \u2014 who dated Travis on and off from 2017 to 2022 \u2014 began the letter, \u201cThey may call you a traitor for falling in love. You\u2019ll hope the ones closest will protect you but quickly realize people don\u2019t protect what they don\u2019t value.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019ll say you\u2019re too much, too provocative, too boisterous, too outspoken and in the same breath, tell you that you\u2019re not enough, not successful enough, not wholesome enough, maybe not even intelligent enough. They\u2019ll say you deserve the backlash and embarrassment because of your blackness. You should have known better. They\u2019ll even try to tie your value to your net worth.\u201d<\/p>\n Kayla went on to plead with \u201cBlack girl\u201d to remember that \u201cvalue lies within your heart\u201d and \u201cthe way you love.\u201d She also encouraged her listeners to not \u201cengage\u201d with those who try to devalue them.<\/p>\n \u201cYou do not have to respond. Because there is power in your silence,\u201d she said. Kayla added that she, too, has had to stop herself from giving in to \u201cthis demoralizing and antiquated narrative.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhen the world gets dark and times get hard, when you feel like your back is against the wall and your hands are tied like nobody knows or understands what it takes to be, you remember that you are a part of something way bigger,\u201d Kayla concluded. \u201cI want you to remember that you are loved, you are valued, you are allowed to take up space. You deserve protection and your feelings, they matter too, solely because you\u2019re a Black girl.\u201d<\/p>\n Kayla received a new sense of social media attention when Travis sparked dating rumors with Taylor in September. The pop star created a buzz when she was spotted at two Kansas City Chiefs games to cheer Travis on. As the relationship began to unfold, many fans turned to look at Travis\u2019 exes, which include Kayla and a model named Maya Benberry<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n For her part, Kayla maintained her silence on the matter, although she did seemingly unfollow<\/a> Travis\u2019 teammate Patrick Mahomes<\/strong><\/a> and his wife, Brittany<\/strong><\/a>, who was seen hanging out with Taylor.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, Maya, who briefly dated Travis after she won his 2016 dating show Catching Kelce<\/em>, has been more outspoken about the situation. In a September interview with Daily Mail<\/em><\/a>, she warned Taylor to \u201cbe smart\u201d and claimed that Travis is a \u201ccheater.\u201d<\/a> However, a source shot down the cheating accusation, telling Life & Style<\/em>, \u201cThey dated for about five months, there was no time to cheat.\u201d<\/p>\n After receiving backlash for her comments, Maya took to her Instagram Stories a few days later with clarifications<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t hate Taylor nor am I bitter,\u201d she said. \u201cI got asked about my relationship and I spoke about it because I can. It\u2019s my life and I can speak on it or about it whenever I please. Everything I said now about my experience, I said then after we broke up. So my narrative hasn\u2019t changed nor will it.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n