For Travis Kelce, “plus one” is a badge of honor.
The Kansas City Chiefs’ tight end, who has in recent years become arguably the most famous boyfriend on the planet, revealed in a recent interview that when your date is Taylor Swift, being a sidekick isn’t half bad.
“I get to be the plus one,” he told GQ in a cover story published Tuesday, Aug. 12. “I get to go and be that fan. Because I am a fan. I’m a fan of music. I’m a fan of art.” Kelce, a star in his own right, was spotted by fans at several different shows throughout Swift’s career-defining, local-economy-lifting Eras Tour. He even appeared on stage at one of them, joining Swift midway through a set of songs from her latest album, “The Tortured Poets Department.”
The real-life equivalent of a joint Instagram post, Kelce and Swift have made their love the stuff of legends. She shifts her lyrics at shows to reference their romance. He points up at the box after a play, where she sits with her celebrity friends.
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His interview follows a guest appearance teaser by Swift on the “New Heights” podcast, which Kelce hosts alongside his brother Jason. In it, she unveiled a new album (and likely era): “The Life of a Showgirl.”
Swift, 35, chose to appear on Kelce’s podcast rather than visiting a traditional news outlet. That’s part of the charm of dating someone within the entertainment industry, Kelce says.
“I hadn’t experienced somebody in the same shoes as me, having a partner who understands the scrutiny, understands the ups and downs of being in front of millions,” Kelce, 35, told GQ. “That was very relatable, seeing how exhausted she would get after shows. She may not think of herself as an athlete. She will never tell anyone that she is an athlete. But I’ve seen what she goes through. I’ve seen the amount of work that she puts on her body, and it’s mind-blowing.”
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It’s the intimacy that Swift creates, however, out of a crowd of millions, that stuns Kelce the most.
“People gravitate towards how she performs and how she makes it feel like the entire stadium is in this little room with her,” he told the outlet. “She is so good at mesmerizing everybody and making everybody feel like it’s an intimate situation. I think that alone – there is so much calm and coolness. She’s beautiful. She’s up there making everyone feel at ease.”
He’s not the only plus one, though.
“It’s so cool that I get to experience her being that plus one for me on the football field,” Kelce said. “I feel that same enjoyment every time she comes to my shows.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Taylor Swift ‘plus one’ Travis Kelce talks relationship in GQ
