Donna Kelce admits she spent “years” of her marriage feeling like she was “standing still.”
The 71-year-old mom to Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, 34, and retired Eagles center Jason Kelce, 36, opened up about the end of her marriage while speaking with Glamour for their 2024 Women of the Year: The Moms issue, which was published Thursday, October 3.
Donna explained that despite knowing their “marriage was not working,” she and Ed Kelce wanted to remain “friendly” and together for the sake of their children. “We could do that and make sure that their life was normal as possible,” she told the publication.
Donna Kelce attends Thursday Night Football Presents The World Premiere of “Kelce” on September 08, 2023 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In October 2024, Donna opened up about remaining in her marriage to Ed Kelce for the sake of their sons, Jason and Travis Kelce.
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The mom of two previously spoke on The Martha Stewart Podcast in May 2024 about her and Ed’s decision to stay together for Travis and Jason. “We decided that we would be married throughout the entire time that the kids were in the house, and that’s the way it worked out,” she told Stewart.
Donna believed it would be “very, very difficult” to raise children on her own, so the couple, who were married for about 25 years, didn’t split until both of their sons had graduated college.
Donna, who used to be a commercial banker, described herself as a “major breadwinner” in her family, and told Glamour that she wanted her “kids to see that a woman can do whatever she wants.”
In the 2023 Prime Video documentary Kelce — which followed Jason and his family as he navigated what he thought would be his final year in the NFL — Ed shared similar sentiments. He admitted the couple “would have preferred” to split up sooner, but they had both felt it would be too challenging with the kids.
“That would have been a nightmare with the logistics, getting kids where they had to be and providing all the support,” he said. Jason has since gone on to welcome three kids of his own — daughters Wyatt, 5, Elliotte, 3, and Bennett, 20 months, with wife Kylie Kelce, 32.
Travis, for his part, has been making headlines for his relationship with pop superstar Taylor Swift, 34, to whom he was first publicly linked in September 2023.
