Marriages are hard, and it’s even harder when you throw in family life into the mix, which is what Donna Kelce found when she was married to her ex-husband.
The mother of NFL star Travis Kelce has been a staple at his games, and has proven to be a strong example to her sons.
The 71-year-old spoke to at Glamour’s 2024 Women of the Year: The Moms issue to describe what it was like bringing up Jason, 36 and Travis, 34 with her ex-husband Ed Kelce.
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She explained: “I was a commercial banker for a bank in several different states. I wanted to get ahead. I worked really, really hard. I was a major breadwinner in the family.
“And I think it’s important for kids to see that a woman can do whatever she wants, but I did stand still, too.”
Her determination to show her sons that as a mother, she could be financially stable and have a life outside of their home (something which still carries some peculiar stigma) was important.
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However, at the time, she and Ed just weren’t meshing well.
Long before her sons became famous and her family was catapulted into the limelight, they were just a normal family, with not uncommon marital problems.
But instead of divorcing while their kids were growing up, they decided to do something unconventional.
They chose to stay together in a friendly way as to not disrupt their kids’ lives.
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She explained: “My husband and I knew that our marriage was not working, but we stayed together for the kids.
“Ours was a very friendly relationship. So, we could do that and make sure that their life was normal as possible. But in that one respect, I did stand still for several years until I could move on on my own.”
She shared during Glamour’s group interview, which included Beyoncé and Solange’s mom Tina Knowles, Selena Gomez and Gracie Teefey’s mom Mandy Teefey, and Billie Eilish and Finneas’ mom Maggie Baird.
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She explained that ‘being a mom is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.’
Donna added: “It’s so much easier to just go to work, but raising children, when they’re totally dependent on you and you’re trying to do the best you can with the limited resources that you have, it’s the most daunting task I’ve ever had to do.”
But now that the boys are grown up, she’s making time for herself once and for all.
She even attended the New York City premiere of FX’s Grotesquerie as Travis plays a role in the series, and spoke about her son as well as Travis’ girlfriend, Taylor Swift.
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She told People: “You know, I don’t think they realize the pressure that people are under, whether they’re athletes or professionals that are in front of the camera. And it's just very difficult, there’s a lot of things going on behind the scenes.”
Saying she 'really appreciates' Taylor and her mum Andrea, Donna explained that their new dynamic together was ‘new’, but ‘fun’.
Topics: Travis Kelce, Taylor Swift, Sport, Celebrity, Parenting, Sex and Relationships
Britt Jones