LOS ANGELES, Aug 27 — Pop superstar Taylor Swift and National Football League player Travis Kelce are engaged to be married, the couple announced on social media on Tuesday.

In a joint Instagram post, the pair wrote: “Your English teacher and your gym teacher are getting married,” along with photos showing the Kansas City Chiefs player proposing to Swift.

Photos showed the American couple in a garden of pink and white flowers. One image showed Kelce on one knee looking up at Swift, and another featured a large ring on Swift’s left hand. A snippet of Swift’s song “So High School” played in the background of the post.

The engagement was welcomed on social media, with more than 17 million likes on the Instagram post by Tuesday afternoon. The NFL offered congratulations.

No wedding date was announced.

Swift has won 14 Grammys, including an unparalleled four album of the year trophies. Kelce is a tight end who has helped the Chiefs win three Super Bowls and made his career catching passes from star quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Swift and Kelce are 35.

The two started dating in 2023 after the singer performed at Arrowhead Stadium – home of Kelce’s Chiefs. He explained on the “New Heights” podcast at the time that he was disappointed he did not have a chance to meet her and give her his phone number at the show.

Swift said she was charmed by the public declaration of interest. The gesture made her feel like she was “in an ‘80s John Hughes movie, and he was just like, standing outside of my window with a boombox and being like, ‘I want to date you,’” she said on a recent “New Heights” episode.

Couple went public at Chiefs game

Swift said she thought, “If this guy isn’t crazy, which is a big if, this is sort of what I’ve been writing songs about wanting to happen to me since I was a teenager.”

She told Time magazine that the pair began “hanging out” after she heard his comments. Their relationship became public when she appeared at a Chiefs game to cheer on Kelce in September 2023.

“We actually had a significant amount of time that no one knew, which I’m grateful for, because we got to get to know each other,” Swift told Time in 2023, when the magazine named her Person of the Year. “By the time I went to that first game, we were a couple.”

The singer appeared at several Chiefs games, including two Super Bowls, and sparked some criticism from NFL fans that TV networks showed her on camera too often and drew attention away from the game.

Kelce attended many stops on Swift’s record-setting Eras Tour, which grossed more than US$2 billion (RM8.4 billion) before concluding in December 2024. At a show in London, Kelce surprised the crowd by taking the stage briefly in a tuxedo and top hat and carrying Swift to a couch during “I Can Do It With a Broken Heart.”

Swift this month announced her upcoming album, “The Life of a Showgirl,” on “New Heights,” which Kelce hosts with his brother, former NFL player Jason Kelce.

The “Shake It Off” and “Blank Space” singer has often written songs about relationship troubles.

She said her upcoming “Showgirl” album, set for release on October 3, will be joyful because “life is more upbeat.”

Kelce will start his 13th regular season with the Chiefs in September.

Friends and fans celebrate

Congratulations on the engagement flowed from fans, sports teams, and friends of the couple. “It’s a love story,” many well-wishers said on social media, quoting a 2008 Swift hit.

Brittany Mahomes, the wife of Patrick Mahomes, wrote: “Two of the most genuine people meet & fall in love. Just so happy for these two.”

“Today is a fairytale,” said the Chiefs’ account on X, next to heart and ring emojis. “Congrats to Travis and Taylor – we’re excited to have you as a permanent member of the Chiefs Kingdom family!”

Companies also acknowledged the milestone. Google added an on-screen shower of confetti when people searched for Swift by name. Buffalo Wild Wings, which has used Jason Kelce as a paid spokesperson, offered to cater the wedding.

US President Donald Trump, who tweeted “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT” in September 2024, told reporters, “I wish them a lot of luck” when asked about the engagement.

“I think he’s a great player, I think he’s a great guy, and I think that she’s a terrific person,” Trump said on Tuesday. — Reuters