'Lucky' Travis Kelce reveals how he got together with Taylor Swift: 'She'll hate me for saying this'

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Travis Kelce is filling in the “blank space” for people wondering how he was able to convince Taylor Swift to go on a date with him.

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In a new cover story with WSJ Magazine published this week, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end, 34, revealed how their relationship began, telling the publication that there were people in Swift’s circle who were “playing Cupid” when she brought her Eras Tour to Kansas City earlier this summer.

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“There were definitely people she knew that knew who I was, in her corner [who said]: ‘Yo! Did you know he was coming? I had somebody playing Cupid,” he said. “She told me exactly what was going on and how I got lucky enough to get her to reach out.”

The two-time Super Bowl champ also got an unlikely assist from Swift’s cousins when she played Arrowhead Stadium, the home of Kelce’s Chiefs.

“She’ll probably hate me for saying this, but … when she came to Arrowhead, they gave her the big locker room as a dressing room and her little cousins were taking pictures in front of my locker,” he continued.

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But if he’s all smiles now, Kelce said he was “butt hurt” after he attended the Kansas City stop on Swift’s Eras Tour and she told him she didn’t have time to meet up earlier this summer.

“If you’re up on Taylor Swift concerts, there are friendship bracelets,” Kelce said on an episode of his New Heights podcast. “And I received a bunch of them being there, but I wanted to give Taylor Swift one with my number on it.”

She passed on the meeting, but he wasn’t deterred. Kelce “threw the ball in her court” and invited Swift to watch the Chiefs play.

“’I’ve seen you rock the stage at Arrowhead. You might have to come see me rock the stage at Arrowhead and see which one’s a little more lit,’” he recalled telling her during a chat on The Pat McAfee Show.

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An insider told PEOPLE that after Swift heard about the invite, she quickly accepted and the two met in New York City.

“When I met her in New York, we had already kind of been talking, so I knew we could have a nice dinner and, like, a conversation, and what goes from there will go from there,” he told the WSJ.

Elsewhere in Kelce’s interview with the WSJ, the eight-time Pro Bowler called Swift “hilarious” and said that he’s “never dated anyone with that kind of aura about them.” He also added that his friends warned him not to screw up this relationship and be careful with how he deals with the media.

“Everybody around me [is] telling me, ‘Don’t f*** this up!’ … That was the biggest thing to me: make sure I don’t say anything that would push Taylor away,” he said.

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“Being around her, seeing how smart Taylor is, has been … mind-blowing,” Kelce continued. “I’m learning every day.”

The two have bonded over their strong family ties, but Kelce said the massive attention he’s received because of the new relationship has been an adjustment.

“I’ve never dealt with it. But at the same time, I’m not running away from any of it,” he told the publication. “The scrutiny she gets, how much she has a magnifying glass on her, every single day … and she’s just living, enjoying life. When she acts like that, I better not be the one acting all strange.”

Kelce also has told Swift about how his post-NFL career plans could involve a pursuit of comedy.

“I told Taylor that I have that world, I’ve got to introduce it to her. I let her know: This is my jam right here,’” the one-time Saturday Night Live host said.

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Last week, Kelce admitted he wasn’t completely surprised when Swift changed a line in her song Karma to reference their budding romance.

“Well, I might have had a little bit of a clue, but definitely when I heard it come out of her mouth, (it) still shocked me,” Kelce told his brother on their New Heights podcast. “She really just said that.”

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During his brief trip to South America, Kelce also met Swift’s dad, Scott, and the couple were spotted kissing after her concert in Beunos Aires.

As the pair head into the holidays, sources tell TMZ the couple “are trying to work out  their schedules to make sure they set aside as much time together as possible.”

But Kelce will also want to get Swift back in the stands to watch one of his games as soon as possible.

The Chiefs lost 21-17 Monday night to the Philadelphia Eagles in a rematch of Super Bowl LVII. And despite making a touchdown catch in the first-half, Kelce fumbled the ball late in the game which cost the club a chance to take the lead.

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It has already been well-documented that Kelce plays better when Swift is in attendance.

“Taylor was in attendance and it’s turning out it was good she was in attendance because they put your stats up — when she’s at the game, when she is not at the game. I don’t know if you’re aware of this,” Kelce’s brother Jason said last month on their New Heights podcast after his team beat the Chargers 31-17.

“How could I not be aware of this?” Kelce replied, before Jason went on.

“When T. Swift is at the game, you’re averaging 99 yards. And when you’re left with only your friends and remaining family there, you are at 46.5 yards a game.”

“It’s hard for me to wrap my head around that sentence,” Kelce replied.

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X: @markhdaniell

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