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Donna Kelce has always set a powerful example for her sons, NFL stars Jason and Travis Kelce. In an interview for Glamour’s 2024 Women of the Year: The Moms issue, the 71-year-old matriarch opened up about raising her boys alongside her ex-husband, Ed Kelce, long before they became household names.
“I was a commercial banker, moving across several states and working really hard to get ahead,” Donna shared. “I was the primary breadwinner, and I think it’s important for kids to see that a woman can do whatever she sets her mind to.”
However, Donna also revealed that her marriage had its challenges. “My husband and I knew our marriage wasn’t working, but we stayed together for the kids,” she explained. “We had a very friendly relationship, which allowed us to make sure their lives were as normal as possible. But in that one area, I did stand still for years until I was ready to move forward on my own.”
Her dedication to family and her ability to balance a thriving career with parenting has clearly left a lasting impression on her sons, who credit her for much of their success.
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Donna Kelce has been named among Glamour’s 2024 Women of the Year, honored alongside fellow influential mothers Tina Knowles (mom to Beyoncé and Solange), Maggie Baird (mother of Billie Eilish and Finneas), and Mandy Teefey (mother of Selena Gomez and Gracie Teefey). In a group interview with the magazine, Donna opened up about the immense challenges of motherhood, calling it “the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life.”
Reflecting on her experience raising sons Jason and Travis Kelce, Donna shared, “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 you have, it’s the most daunting task I’ve ever had to do.”
Her words resonated deeply with the other iconic moms in the interview, as each shared their unique journeys of balancing career, family, and the pressures of raising talented children in the public eye.
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