The impending marriage of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce is a rare — but not unprecedented — merger between two bold-faced names who have reached the pinnacle of their fields.
Swift is the biggest pop star in the world, coming off the biggest concert tour ever. Kelce, a Kansas City Chiefs tight end, is a three-time Super Bowl champion.
Here is a look at some other athletes whose significant others matched or even eclipsed their fame.
Joe DiMaggio and Marilyn Monroe
A nine-time World Series champion and three-time Most Valuable Player, DiMaggio was already retired when he was set up with the actor and pinup model. Private by nature, he struggled to accept the career that made her an international sex symbol.
After entertaining U.S. troops in South Korea on their honeymoon, Monroe told her husband, “Joe, you never heard such cheering.”
“Yes,” DiMaggio responded. “I have.”
His jealousy peaked after Monroe’s iconic subway grate film shoot attracted thousands of gawkers. The marriage lasted only nine months.
Tom Brady and Gisele Bündchen
Brady, who also has a son with actor Bridget Moynahan, was on his way to becoming the most successful quarterback in NFL history. Bündchen, who’d broken things off with Leonardo DiCaprio, was the top supermodel and one of the wealthiest and most influential women in the world.
Bündchen was overheard defending Brady after a Super Bowl loss, saying, “My husband cannot throw the ball and catch the ball at the same time.” But things got rocky when Brady kept extending his career — playing until he was 45 years old — and Bündchen wanted him home.
“I have my concerns,” she told Elle magazine. “This is a very violent sport, and I have my children and I would like him to be more present.”
They divorced in 2022 after 13 years of marriage.
David and Victoria Beckham
David Beckham has won soccer championships in England, Spain, France and the United States; he was recognized by Queen Elizabeth II as an Officer of the Order of the British Empire and knighted by King Charles III.
Victoria Adams, aka Posh Spice and now Victoria Beckham, helped the Spice Girls establish themselves as the bestselling female group of all time. (Her fellow Spice Girl, Geri Halliwell, also coupled up with a sports celeb: Formula 1 executive Christian Horner.)
They married in 1999 and have four children.
Russell Wilson and Ciara
Wilson won the Super Bowl with the Seattle Seahawks. Ciara won the 2006 Grammy for best short-form music video for “Lose Control.” They began dating in 2015 and announced they would remain celibate until marriage; they tied the knot in 2016 and since then have had three children together.
They also have taken credit for some athlete-musician matchmaking, including Normani and Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver DK Metcalf and Coco Jones and Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell.
Dwyane Wade and Gabrielle Union
A prolific TV and film actor who starred in 2000’s “Love & Basketball,” Union found love in basketball when she married Miami Heat Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade in 2014. Wade has one child with Union and three from previous relationships, including a transgender daughter, Zaya; Wade and Union have been vocal in their support for LGBTQ+ rights, saying concern for their daughter was one reason why they left Florida.
Abby Wambach and Glennon Doyle
Wambach helped the United States win two Olympic soccer gold medals and the 2015 World Cup. Her wife, Glennon Doyle, is the author of the bestseller “Untamed.” They host a podcast together, “We Can Do Hard Things,” with Doyle’s sister.
Josh Allen and Hailee Steinfeld
Swift and Kelce’s engagement follows just a few months after quarterback Josh Allen — whose Buffalo Bills have been one of the Chiefs’ the top rivals – married singer and Oscar-nominated actor Hailee Steinfeld.
These celebrity couples never made it down the aisle:
Alex Rodriguez and Jennifer Lopez — A-Rod is a three-time American League MVP whose 696 home runs are fifth-most in baseball history. J.Lo is a singer, dancer, actor and businesswoman and the first woman to have a No. 1 album and the No. 1 film in the same week. They dated for four years, postponed their wedding because of the COVID-19 pandemic and ultimately called it quits.
Gerard Piqué and Shakira — The two met when he appeared in the video for her song promoting the 2010 World Cup, where he helped Spain to the title — one of 37 trophies he won in his career. Shakira is a four-time Grammy winner and one of the most-decorated female Latin artists ever. They split after 11 years and two sons, and she took out her anger on him with the 2023 chart-topper “Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” which won two Latin Grammys.
Anna Kournikova and Enrique Iglesias — Kournikova never won a singles title on the tennis tour, but her looks helped make her one of the most popular athletes in the world. She dated NHL players Sergei Fedorov and Pavel Bure, who also are Russian, but has been with the King of Latin Pop since they met when she appeared in the music video for his 2001 song “Escape.” They have three children together.
