‘We stayed together for the kids’: Travis Kelce’s mother Donna Kelce reveals the real reason she and Ed Kelce waited 25 years to divorce

Travis Kelce and Donna Kelce (Image via Getty) Raising two children while managing a demanding career is never easy. For Donna Kelce, the challenge also meant postponing her own happiness for years. Long before her sons, Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce, became household names in the NFL, Donna and their father, Ed Kelce, faced marital problems. In an October 2024 interview, the soccer stars’ mother offered a rare insight into this chapter of her life and explained why the couple decided to stay together despite knowing their relationship was no longer working.

Donna Kelce opened up about her marriage to Ed Kelce

Donna and Ed Kelce spent 25 years together before finally ending their marriage. However, their decision to stay under the same roof was not guided by the belief that everything between them was perfect. Instead, they wanted to give Travis and Jason a stable childhood.In an interview with Glamor for its October 2024 Woman of the Year cover story, Donna explained how the arrangement affected her personally.“My husband and I knew our marriage wasn’t working, but we stayed together for the kids,” Donna explained in her Glamor Women of the Year cover story. “Our relations were very friendly. So we were able to do that and make their lives as normal as possible. But in that regard, I stood still for a few years until I could move on by myself.”Her words offered a different perspective on the sacrifices parents sometimes make behind closed doors. Although she and Ed remained on friendly terms, Donna admitted that staying married meant putting off important personal decisions.The seventy-one-year-old woman also spoke about her professional life. She worked as a commercial banker in several states and carried a significant share of the family’s financial responsibilities.“I was a commercial banker for a bank in several different states. I wanted to make it. I worked really, really hard. I was the main breadwinner,” she said. “And I think it’s important for kids to see that a woman can do whatever she wants, but I stood my ground too.”

Parents Travis Kelce and Jason Kelce put their children first

Donna later discussed the decision during an appearance on The Martha Stewart Podcast in May 2024. She described raising two children as a shared responsibility and explained why she and Ed decided to delay their separation.“We worked together as a team, and it’s very, very difficult to raise kids alone,” Donna said on The Martha Stewart Podcast in May. “We decided to get married the whole time the kids were in the house, and that’s how it worked out.”Travis also reflected on his parents’ relationship in the 2023 Amazon Prime documentary Kelce. He recalled noticing certain differences at home during his high school years, including his parents not sharing a bedroom.“I started making these connections when I was in high school and realized they were probably going to split,” he said. “But I believe they stayed together for me and Jason’s benefit.In retrospect, Donna’s comments highlighted the years of compromise behind the Kelce family’s journey. Her story also showed that while Travis and Jason built successful NFL careers, their parents’ efforts to provide a stable childhood remained an important part of their upbringing.