Donna Kelce Didnât Talk to Travis on His Birthday: âI Texted Him the Day Beforeâ
Donna Kelce and Travis Kelce.
Donna Kelce reacted to Travis Kelce praising her work ethic when speaking with PEOPLE exclusively on Aug. 12
The Kansas City Chiefs tight end praised his mom for her warm character and driven personality in a GQ cover story
Kelce also called out similarities between Donna and his girlfriend, Taylor Swift
The mother of Travis Kelce shared her thoughts with PEOPLE exclusively after her Kansas City Chiefs son praised her work ethic in his recent GQ cover story.
In the feature, published on Tuesday, Aug. 12, the Chiefs tight end, 35, highlighted the hardworking nature of his parents, noting how they were both determined to give him and brother Jason Kelce, 37, a chance to pursue their dreams.
For Donna, specifically, Travis described his mom's hustle in the field of banking, where she eventually landed at KeyBank in downtown Cleveland (despite earning her college degree in communications with an intention to pursue radio or television).
American football tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League Travis Kelce and mother Donna Kelce arrive at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix's 'Quarterback' Season 1 held at the Netflix Tudum Theater on July 11, 2023 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.
American football tight end for the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League Travis Kelce and mother Donna Kelce arrive at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix's 'Quarterback' Season 1 held at the Netflix Tudum Theater on July 11, 2023 in Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, United States.
Simultaneously, Donna raised two sons who'd go onto be successful stars in the NFL — not to mention, Super Bowl-winning athletes. However, the down-to-earth mom sees beyond the accolades and fame.
"You know, I think I'm relatable to a lot of moms that are out there. I mean, we're doing everything. We're cooking, we're cleaning, we're driving our kids places," Donna told PEOPLE exclusively on Tuesday in response to Travis praising her work ethic to GQ.
"It just seems like we're running all around," she continued, saying, "We try to get help from the people that are at home, and sometimes we do and sometimes we don't because they're busy running out and doing their own thing, too."
Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates with his mother Donna Kelce after a 17-10 victory against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland.
Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates with his mother Donna Kelce after a 17-10 victory against the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship Game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 28, 2024 in Baltimore, Maryland.
"So I think he just saw that," Donna said of Travis, adding, "As a working mom, they see their mothers busy and working both at home and in the workplace — and so I think they saw that. They had to have seen it when they were growing up."
She added, "I tried to also be involved in the schools, too. It's important, but you don't always get to be there like a room mother all the time."
Elsewhere in Travis' recent GQ cover story, he said that he sees similarities between Donna and his girlfriend, Taylor Swift. Specifically, he praised their "ability to show love and support" above everything else.
"Their kindness, their genuineness, their ability to say hello to everyone in the room," the NFL star told the outlet of the two women. "Their ability to show love and support no matter what. And on top of that, their work ethic."
"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," he added.
When speaking in admiration of his mom and her career success in banking, the Ohio native explained how he got a first-hand look at his mom's workplace — having spent a fair amount of time there when he would "get kicked out of school for fighting."
"I would sometimes have to go with my mom to work and hang out with her," admitted Travis, who said it was through those moments he became aware of his mom's ambition.
"It went from cubicles to a really nice office in the back, to all of a sudden the offices are getting bigger and bigger and now she’s got a name tag on her office," he shared. "I literally saw my mom go through it by being a little bad-ass kid."
Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates with Taylor Swift and mother Donna Kelce after the Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills 32-29 to win the AFC Championship Game
Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs celebrates with Taylor Swift and mother Donna Kelce after the Chiefs defeated the Buffalo Bills 32-29 to win the AFC Championship Game
Donna also shared with PEOPLE exclusively what she's looking forward to most about Travis' 13th season with the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL, and revealed what will make this year especially special and different from the rest.
"This is going to be, I think, a different year for him. He really hunkered down and did a lot of training in the off-season," Donna told PEOPLE exclusively of the star tight end while speaking about her partnership with QVC on Tuesday.
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The mom of two praised Travis' fitness advancements, which are sure to help his game play when he takes the field for the first time this season with the Chiefs on Sept. 5 when they play the Los Angeles Chargers.
"He's faster now than he's been in the last four years. He's really slimmed down a little bit and it just makes it easier than carrying all that load, like running and stuff like that," she shared.