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The journey to healing after a break-up isn’t linear, but to reach a place of acceptance as time passes is one step closer to closing the chapter.

But when you’re forced to relive your past due to the high-profile nature of your ex’s new relationship, with rumors and opinions swirling around your name, there comes a point where one can choose to move with grace and reclaim the narrative — and thus is the case with Kayla Nicole.


Kayla Nicole, 31, is a sports broadcaster, fitness influencer, and the ex-girlfriend of NFL tight-end star, Travis Kelce. The two began dating in 2017. Then in January of this year, Kelce revealed in an interview with The Pivot that he was “in the free market right now,” confirming the two’s breakup.

Over the last few weeks, the internet has been ablaze with rumors of Kelce now dating pop megastar, Taylor Swift. News of which, had placed Kayla back into public discourses and subjected her to online harassment around her race and Kelce’s preferences.

While she wasn’t rushed to make any public statements about the rumors, on Tuesday, the on-air sports journalist took to her Instagram page to share a heartfelt open letter to Black girls and addressed the “backlash" from internet bullies.

“It’s always been really important for me to use my platform, not to create division, but to elevate and unite women, Black women specifically,” she stated in the video.

“Dear Black girl, they may call you a traitor for falling in love. You’ll hope the ones closest will protect you, but you will quickly find out that people don’t protect what they don’t value,” Kayla said.

“They’ll say you’re too much, too provocative, too boisterous, too outspoken, and in the same breath, tell you that you aren’t enough. They’ll say you deserve the backlash and embarrassment. Because of your Blackness, you should have known better. They’ll even try to tie your value to your net worth. But Black girl, please remember your value lies elsewhere. Your value is deep within your heart," she said.

Kayla went on to share the importance of protecting one’s peace from “one-sided” scrutiny, emphasizing the power of silence.

"You don't have to participate in this tumultuous, often one-sided journey. Preserve your heart, even when they try to quantify your character and test your boundaries, you do not have to engage. You do not have to respond because there is power in your silence."

She also expresses solidarity in the human experience, reminding herself and others of their inherent worth and sufficiency on days of self-doubt.

"My truth, trauma, and vulnerability are a relatable part of the human experience. I know I’m not alone and I want to make sure you know that you’re not either. On days when I feel most inadequate, I have to remind myself that I am, have been, and will always be more than enough," Kayla continues.

While every relationship has its rough patches and highlights, Nicole makes notes of this sharing, "We love, we hurt, we heal." Emphasizing that, "Your story is yours to tell. when you feel like nobody knows or understands what it takes to be you, remember that you are a part of something way bigger."

Kayla ends the letter with a reminder that every Black girl deserves to hear, "Most importantly, I 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."

Recently, Maya Benberry, who dated Kelce after appearing on the dating reality show Catching Kelce in 2016, shared that she had received death threats from Swift’s fan base. “Swifties are aggressive, very negative, very hypocritical,” Maya revealed to Inside Edition. “It’s really crazy to me that someone I think is positive and really nice would have such a negative and angry fan base.”

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Featured image by Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images

 

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