Camille Kostek Cheers on Rob Gronkowski As He Retires With the New England Patriots

The duo headed to Gillette Stadium for the celebratory event on Wednesday, Nov. 12.

Rob Gronkowski and Camille Kostek / John Nacion/Getty Images

It was a full circle moment in Foxboro, Mass., on Wednesday, when Rob Gronkowski entered Gillette Stadium to sign a one-day contract as a Patriot and retire with the New England franchise that he called home for nearly a decade. By his side was his longtime girlfriend and SI Swimsuit Legend, Camille Kostek.

Gronkowski—informally known as “Gronk” to Patriots fans and football enthusiasts alike—was a tight end with the franchise for nine of his 11 years in the league, and notched three Super Bowl titles (XLIX, LI and LIII) during his tenure in the North East. He had previously retired in March 2019, before he headed south to join quarterback Tom Brady on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Rob Gronkowski, Robert Kraft and Camille Kostek / John Tlumacki/The Boston Globe/Getty Images

And while Gronk stepped away from the game in 2022 following a pair of seasons in Tampa Bay, he joined Patriots CEO Robert Kraft in Foxboro to retire with the Patriots at the request of a friend, Susan Hurley, who recently passed away from cancer.

Following the festivities, Kostek took to Instagram to cheer on her long-time beau, whose relationship blossomed from the organization in 2013, when she was still with its cheer squad. “Patriot for life ❤️🏈,“ she penned in its caption. Among its 12 frames, she shared some behind the scenes candids of the 36-year-old’s celebratory outing, where the model sported an all-denim ensemble in the team's navy blue.

View this post on Instagram

On his signing day, “Camille was in the house and talking to [Kraft] right after, and he’s the one who brought us together,“ the tight end disclosed on his podcast, Dudes on Dudes with Gronk and Jules—which he cohosts alongside his former New England teammate, Julian Edelman. “Without the Patriots organization, I would’ve never met Camille either. It’s bringing a tear to my eyes. This is a full circle moment.“

Kostek recalled the introduction fondly during a SiriusXM interview in 2021. The model and her longtime beau were both attending a charity event with the organization nearly 12 years ago, and had scratched his phone number on the back of a stickered nametag, she told the outlet.

“Then he wrote, ‘Shhhhh’ because he knew it was a secret,“ Kostek continued. She also elaborated that Patriots players and cheerleaders were not supposed to fraternize. The discreet move clearly worked, and over a decade later, the couple is stronger than ever, at the place where it all began.

Learn more about their relationship here!

---

More Lifestyle & Celeb:

feed