Kayla Nicole Explains Why She Unfollowed Brittany and Patrick Mahomes: ‘I Have to Move Forward’ (Exclusive)

“The love is still there” for her Kansas City friends, the content creator exclusively tells PEOPLE.

When Kayla Nicole publicly unfollowed Brittany and Patrick Mahomes on Instagram last month, she wasn’t expecting it to make headlines.

Amid speculation that a falling out had occurred between the two friends, Nicole exclusively tells PEOPLE that “the reality” of their situation is much more complex — and that she’s addressed the situation privately with Brittany.

“I do think it’s important to publicly address this because I did publicly unfollow people,” Nicole says. “The reality is I know these people in real life. And so, in real life, I’ve communicated to these people why I’ve had to publicly make the decisions that I made.”

Nicole and Brittany grew close during Nicole’s five-year relationship with Patrick’s Kansas City Chiefs teammate, Travis Kelce, before they officially broke up in May 2022. Nicole even went wedding dress shopping with Brittany and was one of the select few to come on her eight-person bachelorette weekend in February 2022. And now, as Kelce’s new romance with Taylor Swift continues, Brittany has befriended the “Karma” singer.