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Just hours after Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift announced their engagement on August 26, Nicole reshared a video to her Instagram Stories featuring actress Tracee Ellis Ross speaking about the power of joy.
"I think joy is different from happiness," Ross said in the clip. "Happiness is something you can get at 7-Eleven, and joy is something that you earn and work for and takes practice."
Ross continued by explaining that joy is "an attitude, a perspective, and a lens" through which she chooses to live. Nicole added her own note alongside the repost: "Read about this very concept years ago in a book called Choose Joy: Because Happiness Isn't Enough. I aspire! So so good."
Meanwhile, Swift and Kelce shared the news of their engagement in a joint Instagram post, showcasing photos from a romantic garden proposal surrounded by flowers. "Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married," Swift captioned the announcement.
The couple's story began in July 2023 when Kelce attended Swift's Eras Tour at Arrowhead Stadium, home of the Kansas City Chiefs. Soon after, he admitted on his podcast New Heights that he had tried, but failed, to meet the singer backstage. In September of that year, dating rumors intensified when Swift attended one of Kelce's games, sitting with his mother and cheering from his suite. She was later spotted leaving the stadium with him, cementing the speculation.
Before his relationship with Swift, Kelce was linked to Nicole in an on-and-off romance that lasted five years. They first connected on Instagram, where Kelce had been, in Nicole's words, "Insta-flirting" for months. The pair eventually went public but ended their relationship in 2022.
Speculation about financial disagreements surrounding their breakup circulated online, but Kelce dismissed those claims during an appearance on The Pivot Podcast in January 2023. "Don't buy into that," he told the hosts.
Since then, Nicole has focused on moving forward with her life. In an interview with People, she explained her decision to unfollow Brittany and Patrick Mahomes, noting that she had communicated her reasons privately while making her choices publicly.
Nicole's recent post makes it clear that her focus is not on the past, but on embracing joy in the present.